Watch Jill Biden Lead a Convo at Cosmo on Why We Need the Violence Against Women Act More Than Ever

From Cosmopolitan

Sunday marked the 26th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, a law that was designed to protect women from domestic violence, and Women for Biden commemorated the day by hosting VAWA at 26: Women Unite for Progress with Jill Biden, on Monday night.

Hit the play button below right now to watch the exclusive live stream event (or watch on our Facebook page), addressing the law's importance and why we need to renew and strengthen it—especially in light of increased gender-based violence during the coronavirus pandemic.

Introducing the virtual event, Jill Biden recalled a time when domestic violence was treated as a "private family matter" and how Joe Biden fought for women's rights via legislation. "Twenty six years ago in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act became law, but it was in 1990 that Joe actually sat down with his staff to write it," she said. "Joe was stunned by the statistic he had read, so as chairman of the judiciary committee, he held hearings."

In 2011, VAWA was proven to have reduced incidents of serious victimization by an intimate partner by more than 70 percent, but it wasn't passed without opposition. As Jill Biden recalled, it didn't receive a single vote in its first year, and it wasn't until women and men from around the country demanded change that it was signed into law by president Bill Clinton on September 13, 1994. Now, the bill is "stuck in legislative limbo" as it sits on Senator Mitch McConnell's desk awaiting reauthorization.

With so much at stake in this upcoming election, she implored Americans to cast their vote for Joe, who she believes can "heal our nation and bring us back together." The educator continued, "He will lift up women's voices and make sure those who are vulnerable have the protection they need."

Following Jill Biden's call for action, a panel discussion was moderated by Symone Sanders, senior advisor for Joe Biden, with four diverse women advocates who represent different demographics and perspectives on this issue—women of color, young Americans, and veterans.

Viewers heard from Rep. Ruth Buffalo, a public health advocate and the first Democratic Native American woman to serve in the North Dakota Legislature who spoke about missing and murdered Indigenous women; Tracey Vitchers, a non-profit executive and nationally recognized expert on youth sexual violence prevention and survivor advocacy from Pennsylvania who spoke about Betsy DeVos' threat to college students' rights; Melissa Bryant, a veterans' advocate and licensed consultant with 20 years of combined experience in federal government management, nonprofit advocacy, and nonprofit executive leadership who spoke about the increase in partner violence in the veteran community; and Karma Cottman, an advocate for survivors of domestic violence and their children in Washington, D.C. who detailed the unique crises that Black women continue to face.

Pause for a quick history refresh: First proposed by then-Senator Biden, the Violence Against Women Act helped establish the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the Office of Violence Against Women. Since its creation, more than $7 billion in federal grants have helped fund programs that prevent sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking.

But since then, it's needed to be renewed every four years. It was up for renewal last year, and even though the House passed the reauthorization, the Senate did not after the National Rifle Association fought against it. Their reasoning? A new provision known as the "boyfriend loophole," that, if passed, would ensure convicted abusers would not be able to buy or own firearms.

In a statement about Monday's event, Mariel Sáez, Women's Media Director for the Biden for President campaign, tells Cosmo:

To wrap everything up tonight, surprise guest Secretary Hillary Clinton encouraged everyone to find away to take action this week by phone banking, downloading the Vote Joe app to discover more ways to get involved, texting "Women" to 30330, and to make sure that every eligible voter casts a ballot. "This can't be another woulda-coulda-shoulda election," she said. "The day after we get the results—whenever that is—let's wake up knowing that we did absolutely everything we could to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris."

You Might Also Like

• A Cleaning Expert Explains the Best Way to Clean Cloth Face Masks After You Wear Them — Good Housekeeping

• 35 Delicious Pantry Recipes That Use What's Already in Your Cabinets and Freezer — Good Housekeeping

• The Amish keep to themselves. And they’re hiding a horrifying secret. — Cosmopolitan