The Violence Against Women Act Saves Lives—But It Desperately Needs Updating
It wasn’t that long ago that many people believed that domestic violence was a matter best handled inside the family and outside the criminal justice system. Thankfully, we have come a long way. And today, on the 26th anniversary of the passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), we remember those women and men we have to thank for it—including vice president Joe Biden.
When he first introduced legislation to combat domestic violence in the early 1990s, he faced opposition at every turn—from Republican lawmakers, from the Supreme Court, from outmoded cultural attitudes. But then-senator Biden was undeterred.
He believed that he could change the law if he changed perceptions. So he invited health care professionals, victim advocates, and survivors to testify before Congress and share their harrowing experiences with the nation. At last America saw the truth: that our nation must stop this violence. On September 13, 1994, the landmark VAWA was signed into law.
There’s a reason vice president Biden calls VAWA his “proudest legislative accomplishment.” VAWA reformed a broken system that often failed to provide victims with resources and bring perpetrators to justice. The law funded shelters and crisis centers around the country. It created a national hotline for victims and trained law enforcement to better investigate violence against women and offer support to survivors. And crucially, VAWA effectively raised our national awareness while lowering incidents of domestic violence. In the years since VAWA passed, domestic violence rates have dropped by 64%.
As county attorney for Minnesota's Hennepin County, I saw firsthand the importance of this law. I worked with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. I attended the funerals of those who didn’t survive. And I fought for justice on their behalf.
In the Senate, I’ve fought to strengthen VAWA so that it reflects the world we live in today. When the law was reauthorized in 2013, I included an important provision to combat the growing threat of cyberstalking and protect stalking victims. I also worked with President Obama and Vice President Biden to help victims who had fallen through the cracks: We expanded protections for same-sex couples and ensured that undocumented immigrants who were victims of domestic violence could secure visas for their protection.
Now the Violence Against Women Act is in desperate need of an update again. For starters, Indigenous women, including those in my home state of Minnesota, still experience significantly higher rates of domestic violence—they’re more than twice as likely to be raped or sexually assaulted as any other demographic in the United States. We need to make sure they are fully protected under this law.
I am also leading the effort to close the “boyfriend loophole,” which continues to put women everywhere at risk. Right now, federal law says if you’re convicted of abusing your wife, you can’t get a gun; but if it’s your girlfriend and you haven’t lived with her, you can. Essentially, a person with a documented history of physically abusing or stalking their partner is perfectly within their right to obtain a firearm. And this happens a lot—often with deadly results. According to the Department of Justice, nearly half of women killed by intimate partners are killed by dating partners. As one sheriff from Racine County in Wisconsin, a self-described conservative Republican, said during a Senate hearing on the issue, “Dangerous boyfriends can be just as scary as dangerous husbands. They hit just as hard, and they fire their guns with the same deadly force.”
And during the coronavirus pandemic, the situation has grown even more dire. As people are forced to quarantine or shelter in place with their abusers, domestic violence has risen in the United States and around the globe. The United Nations even dubbed it a “shadow epidemic.”
Unfortunately, Republicans have shown they’re unwilling to take this issue seriously. In addition to the Trump administration’s move to weaken protections for victims of sexual assault on college campuses, Senate Republicans blocked the Democrats’ attempts to reauthorize VAWA last year. The reason for their opposition? Because closing the “boyfriend loophole” meant defying the gun lobby. Despite all the progress we’ve made over the past decade, Republicans would rather stand with the NRA than stand up for women.
Just like in the early 1990s, we’ve reached an inflection point. And just like back then, vice president Biden is rising to the challenge. Instead of stalling progress, he’s pledged to reauthorize VAWA within the first 100 days of his presidency—closing the “boyfriend loophole” and all. Not only will he restore the protections the Trump administration gutted, he’ll bring victims swifter justice and greater support. That means ending rape-kit backlogs, expanding housing assistance for survivors, and funding services specifically aimed at Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.
I support vice president Biden because his track record speaks for itself—he has the receipts. He’s devoted his life’s work to this cause. He authored VAWA. He’s taken on the NRA. He’s been an outspoken champion of survivors. And he leads by a simple, but important, creed: to see injustice and do nothing makes you part of the problem.
On ending violence against women, vice president Biden has always been part of the solution. Not because he’s a father or a husband, but because he’s human. In fact, my support for vice president Biden is best summed up in three words: basic human decency. It’s a quality he has demonstrated his whole life. It’s also one he recognizes in us—all of us. Back when vice president Biden was initially fighting to pass VAWA, he said he believed that once Americans heard the accounts of survivors, their sense of basic decency would unite them in demanding change. He was right. Although there remains much work to be done, our better angels took over, and we forged a brighter future.
Now we’re being put to the test again in November. Joe still believes in us. He believes we can better protect women. He believes we can build a more united, just, and compassionate society. And I do too. Let’s prove it at the ballot box.
Amy Klobuchar is the senior United States senator from Minnesota.
Originally Appeared on Glamour
