321ACTION: January 20, 2025
On Sunday, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher, were released into Israel thanks to a complicated ceasefire and hostage release deal. As of today, 91 of the 251 hostages taken from Israel on October 7, 2023, including at least 34 of whom are dead,remain under Gaza. Within the hour of Romi, Emily, and Doron’s release into Israel, Jewish Women International hosted a discussion with Israeli experts about conflict-related sexual violence, international protocols, trauma-informed codes, and prospects for justice. Watch the recording here.
On the domestic front, a whole host of legislative changes, including proposed cuts to the social safety net and hardline immigration crackdowns, are coming down the pipeline. These policy changes, if passed, would endanger the most vulnerable Americans and survivors.
In his last days in office, President Biden pardoned domestic violence advocate and community activist Kemba Smith Pradia and commuted the sentence of Michelle West. Both Ms. Smith Pradia and Ms. West were sentenced to federal prison for the actions of their abusive intimate partners under mandatory sentencing laws that did not recognize the role domestic violence played in their cases. Read more here.
Ready to make a difference?
Here are three ways to get started:
3. ERA Ratified
On Friday, January 17, President Biden formally recognized the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The ERA states, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” The three-quarters threshold established in Article V of the Constitution to ratify constitutional amendments, was reached when Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the ERA, but the deadline for ratification imposed by Congress had lapsed, and some states had rescinded their ratification. However, the Constitution does not include a mechanism for states to rescind ratification and does not set a time limit, so many legal scholars argue the ERA has been ratified and now needs to be published by the Archivist. While lacking the force of law, President Biden’s declaration may strengthen the legal case for the ERA’s ratification in court.
2. Urge Congress to Protect SNAP
A proposed $30 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) funding over the next 10 years, would have devastating effects on domestic violence survivors and other vulnerable populations.
SNAP and other direct assistance programs can help reduce and prevent intimate partner violence by increasing a survivor’s economic stability, according to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence.
1. … And to Block the Laken Riley Act
The Laken Riley Act, which would vastly expand the arrest and indefinite detention without bond of undocumented immigrants, sailed through the Senate and is expected to be the first bill passed by the 119th Congress.
The Laken Riley Act would provide domestic abusers and traffickers targeting migrant victims with a powerful new tool by which to exert power and coercive control. Under this bill, undocumented immigrants who are accused of petty crimes, such as shoplifting, are required to be detained indefinitely with no due process, regardless of their guilt or innocence. Abusers and traffickers often falsely accuse victims or coerce victims and survivors, on threat of violence or other harm, to engage in petty crimes, and they maintain power over their victims by threatening to have them deported, keeping them from seeking safety, services, and justice. Unlike other immigration processes, the process under the Laken Riley Act does not provide exemptions for survivors who are wrongfully accused or coerced.
+ In case you missed it...
Within the hour of the release of Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher into Israel, JWI CEO Meredith Jacobs, co-founder of the I Believe Israeli Women Global Movement, moderated a conversation with members of the Dinah Project, Israel's leading experts and resource for recognition and justice for the victims of October 7th. The conversation was an informative lesson on the ethical code for the treatment of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, international law and protocols, and suggested trauma-informed, survivor-center practices for the media and government.