ACLU Comment on House Passage of the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act

WASHINGTON — The House voted today to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The bill authorizes programs and funding that support survivors of gender-based violence and aims to address institutions and laws that perpetuate domestic violence and sexual assault. The ACLU issued a vote recommendation urging Congress to vote yes and pass the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

Vania Leveille, senior legislative counsel at the ACLU, had the following reaction:

“Gender-based violence has no place in our society, laws, or institutions, and Congress has long recognized the devastating impact domestic and sexual violence has on survivors and their families. Now, Congress must do its part to address those harms by dismantling the laws and structures that perpetuate gender-based violence in our institutions and fail to protect survivors.

“Reauthorizing VAWA would significantly strengthen housing protections for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, protect survivors’ ability to seek emergency assistance without threatening their homes, increase tribes’ authority to address violence against Native survivors, and prevent law enforcement officials from arguing that people in custody consented to sexual assault or harassment. Passing this bill in the House and Senate is critical to improving the protections and rights of all survivors of gender-based violence across the country.”