With determination and hard work, Joseph R. Biden Jr. shepherded the highly successful Violence Against Women Act through Congress in 1994. Since then, as detailed in this March 2021 story in the New York Times (NYT), Biden has made combating domestic violence a central part of his political and policy work.
As Vice President in 2009, Joe Biden:
- appointed the first ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, Lynn Rosenthal.
- focused on dating violence. Because even one incident is too many, in September 2011, Biden launched the 1is2many initiative, which uses technology and outreach to help reduce dating violence and sexual assault among teens and young adults.
- joined President Obama in January 2014 in creating the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, which partners with government, academia, and communities across the US so students could feel safe and thrive in school and in the world.
What has Biden done since becoming President? Let’s look at just a few of the steps he’s taken.
Early on he placed the issue front and center:
On March 8, 2021, the President established a Gender Policy Council that reports directly to him and that requires the participation of almost every cabinet secretary. (NYT)
President Biden signed an executive order on Monday — International Women’s Day — establishing a Gender Policy Council in the White House that will seek to advance “gender equality and equity” in both domestic and foreign policy across government. The council will report directly to the president, making it the most powerful body of its kind to date.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic and an economic downturn, the Gender Policy Council will play a critical role in pushing forward Mr. Biden’s agenda, signifying a sharp departure from the past four years when the Trump administration effectively sidelined women’s issues.
Also in March 2021, the U.S. began distributing stimulus aid to victims of domestic abuse, who faced even greater hardship in the pandemic. (NYT)
The Biden administration has begun to distribute hundreds of millions of dollars in funds to support victims of domestic abuse, a group that faced greater hardships and more danger while sheltering at home during the pandemic.
The Department of Health and Human Services said Monday that it will award $200 million to help abuse victims get counseling, emergency and transitional housing, and help with safety planning and other resources.
In December 2022, Biden was proud to support another ground-breaking law protecting survivors of domestic violence and sexual harassment and abuse. As explained by Engadget (our emphasis):
Biden signs bill that lets domestic violence survivors remove abusers from phone plans
President Joe Biden has signed H.R. 7132 or Safe Connections Act of 2022 into law, and it could help domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking survivors ultimately cut ties with abusers. Under the new law, users can ask mobile service providers to separate their line — as well as their dependents' — from their abusers' if they have a shared contract. That would ensure that abusers no longer have access to their phone records and can't get their service cut. Carriers aren't allowed to charge fees to grant these requests, which they must do within two days.
In addition, Safe Connections Act of 2022 will require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create rules that would make it easier for survivors seeking separate mobile plans to enroll in its Lifeline Program for up to six months. This FCC initiative gives qualifying low-income consumers a discount on phone services, so they can remain connected to job opportunities, friends, family and emergency services while they're working to get back on their feet. The commission also has to establish rules that would prevent calls or texts to hotlines from appearing on call logs, presumably to keep survivors safe.
And as Ms. magazine reported in June 2023, The Biden Administration Has Taken on Intimate Partner Violence, which victimizes over 10 million people every year:
Recognizing that intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue in the United States, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) last month issued clinical guidance on how health professionals can provide comprehensive, trauma-sensitive care to patients experiencing IPV.
The National Protocol for Intimate Partner Violence Medical Forensic Examinations—designed by a broad coalition of healthcare, justice, survivor advocacy and law enforcement experts—seeks to ensure that clinical interventions prioritize the survivor’s health and well-being while preserving forensic evidence for use in potential legal proceedings.
IPV—defined as a pattern of emotional, sexual and/or physical abuse or aggression which occurs between romantic partners who may or may not live in the same household—is pervasive and prevalent in the United States.
Jane Manning, director of Women’s Equal Justice, a New York-based nonprofit dedicated to helping survivors of sexual violence navigate the criminal justice system, said OVW deserves enormous credit for the new protocol.
The Office on Violence Against Women was set up under the original Violence Against Women Act. The act was renewed and updated in March 2022, helping it to become more effective than ever, as described by Spectrum News:
Biden celebrates renewal of domestic violence law he worked on as senator
President Joe Biden on Wednesday gathered advocates, lawmakers and survivors of domestic violence at the White House to mark the reauthorization of a domestic violence law he first worked on as a senator in the 1990s, which extends protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence.
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) passed as part of the $1.5 trillion government funding bill passed by Congress last week, after a rare bipartisan push to reup the legislation, which lapsed nearly three years ago due to partisan disagreements.
Biden on Wednesday reflected on the legislation he helped author back in 1994, the first federal legislation of its kind with an aim to end violence against women.
“As a society, we literally looked away. We looked away. In many places it wasn't a crime,” Biden said of domestic violence before VAWA.
He credited survivors for their courage to testify publicly before the original law was passed, something he said was critical.
“The only way we could change the culture was by shining an ugly, bright light on it and speaking its name,” Biden said at the White House. “Can you imagine being among the first to stand before the whole damn world? Millions of people hearing you recite how you were abused?”
Biden thanked the advocates in the room for continuing to fight for the legislation even when it expired.
“This reauthorization is testament to the power in your voices and your tireless dedication to changing things,” the president said.
And in June 2022, Joe Biden signed a new law, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which further protected at-risk Americans by narrowing a major legal loophole. A year later, the Department of Justice looked back at the progress made under the new laws:
Addressing the nexus between firearms and domestic violence
The VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 strengthened protections for domestic violence survivors at risk of experiencing gun violence, and established a historic restorative justice grant program, offering survivors alternative approaches to healing and justice. President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which narrowed the “boyfriend loophole” by helping to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
DOJ is training federal law enforcement and educating state and local law enforcement and prosecutors on this historic change. And the FBI is reporting denied transactions of firearm purchases, fully implementing the NICS Denial Notification Act, which helped state law enforcement investigate and prosecute cases against individuals legally prohibited from purchasing firearms who try to do so.
Is there still more work to be done? 100%! Lots more work. But Biden has done so much more than many people guessed could be done. He deserves a lot of credit. AND he deserves to be re-elected.
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These posts are written by Goodnewsroundup (Goodie),
edited by Matilda Briggs, supported by 2thanks and WolverineForTJatAW,
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