U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., is the latest member of the Florida delegation to call upon Congress to renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Buchanan sent a letter to U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., and U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., calling on them to reauthorize VAWA.
“According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a staggering 12 million people each year are victims of rape, stalking or violence by an intimate partner. In Florida over 100,000 cases of domestic violence were reported in 2017 alone,” the congressman’s office noted. VAWA expires at the end of the month.
“I am writing to urge you to immediately bring to the floor legislation reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) before this critical and lifesaving program expires at the end of the month,” Buchanan wrote. “Originally enacted in 1994, VAWA has served as the cornerstone of our protections against domestic and sexual violence by providing much-needed support to victims throughout the United States. This program has provided essential services to millions of victims of stalking, domestic violence and sexual assault for more than two decades.
“Tragically, it is estimated a woman is assaulted or beaten every nine seconds in the United States. A staggering 12 million people each year are victims of rape, stalking or violence by an intimate partner. And with over 100,000 cases of domestic violence crimes reported in Florida in the last year alone, we cannot afford to wait any longer,” Buchanan added. “As you know, this landmark law strengthens the ability of law enforcement to combat domestic violence and sexual abuse while providing essential services for victims throughout the country. Among other things, the Violence Against Women Act provides grants to state and local authorities for counseling and legal assistance, battered women shelters, stalker databases and domestic violence hotlines to help our nation’s most vulnerable.
“Helping the victims of domestic and sexual violence is a bipartisan issue that should be of critical importance to all of us. At a time when partisan gridlock has become all too commonplace in Washington, we need to come together and reauthorize this critical program,” he wrote in conclusion. “I appreciate your attention to this important matter and urge swift passage of this vital legislation.”
Buchanan is not the only member of the Florida delegation urging Ryan and the House leadership to renew VAWA. Back in July, the two congresswomen who lead the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues--U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Ind., and U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla.--wrote to Ryan and U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on the matter.
The congresswomen pointed to how the VAWA has impacted Americans since being launched back in 1994.
“Since VAWA was first passed in 1994, serious victimization by an intimate partner declined by 72 percent for women and 64 percent for men,” Frankel’s office noted. “However, it is estimated that as many as 45 million adults experience physical violence, rape and/or stalking by an intimate partner at some point in their lives.
“In addition to the emotional toll, this issue [violence against women] has great economic impacts for our country,” Brooks and Frankel wrote. “Recent studies report the financial cost of rape to be more than $120,000 per victim with more than half of that cost coming from the lost workforce productivity. We believe it is critical to invest in increased prevention services in the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, scheduled to expire at the end of this fiscal year, so we can ultimately stop this cycle of violence before it begins.”
