Violence against women should NOT be a divisive issue!
Violence against women and girls is not a partisan issue, and yet in the last week two separate VAWA bills have been introduced in the Senate - dividing an already fractured chamber.
JWI, along with our coalition partners in the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, have indicated that our support of a VAWA bill is conditioned on three issues: No rollbacks to existing protections for survivors; closing the “boyfriend loophole” so those convicted of dating violence cannot access firearms; and recognizing the sovereignty of tribes to arrest and prosecute non-native perpetrators of sexual assault.
While we are proud to support Senator Feinstein’s bill, S. 2843, we have grave concerns that Senator Ernst’s bill harms survivors by removing protections already in law and not addressing the epidemic of firearm deaths by intimate partners. The Ernst bill undermines existing LGBTQ non-discrimination protections and rescinds key protections for Native survivors. It also fails to include a single policy that would reduce the number of gun deaths by intimate partners.
Lori Weinstein, CEO of JWI, issues the following statement:
“VAWA has always been a bipartisan bill, and it is unfortunate that Senator Ernst and ten of her colleagues chose to put forward a bill without enhancements survivors are crying out for. Senator Feinstein’s bill, S. 2843, is the VAWA that protects Native American survivors, maintains and expands non-discrimination protections, and closes the ‘boyfriend’ and ‘stalking’ loopholes to make sure no abuser has access to firearms.
“The field informed the Senate of their needs, and only one bill has the protections for communities most at risk of violence. I urge Senator Ernst to reconsider her bill and follow the lead of her thirty-three Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives who supported the important provisions in S. 2843.”
If you have questions or want to report the outcome of your contacts with senators, please email [email protected].
Jewish Women International (JWI) is the leading Jewish organization working to empower women and girls by ensuring and protecting their physical safety and economic security, promoting and celebrating inter-generational leadership, inspiring civic participation and community engagement, and engaging men as allies in ending gender-based violence. JWI is a Steering Committee member of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence and convenes the Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Clergy Task Force on Domestic and Sexual Abuse in the Jewish Community.