VAWA NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION – NOVEMBER 13TH, 2012
Annually, 12.7 million men and women in the U.S. are physically abused, raped or stalked by their partners.[i] That is approximately the number of people in New York City and Los Angeles combined.[ii] That is 24 people every minute.[iii] These are people we know.
We know that all victims need protection and it is important to tell the world why on the National Day of Action. Congress must pass the real Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). As aptly stated by the National Task Force to End Domestic Violence, doing nothing is not an option with VAWA.
It’s unacceptable that VAWA resources have been jeopardized for almost two (2) years. The election is over and it’s time for Congress to reauthorize the real Violence Against Women Act. Until VAWA has been reauthorized, Congress has some unfinished business. They must pass the Violence Against Women Act in all deliverate speed. We must get Congress to finish the work of passing a VAWA that safely and effectively protects all victims.
Now that the election is over, Congress is back to work to finish up as much as they can before the end of the year. VAWA must be on the list of work that gets done by the end of December. Come January, the current bill expires and we will need to start again to draft a brand new bill, losing precious time and lives in the process.
Calls to our legislators in Washington, DC about VAWA’s authorization are important. Our calls are essential and will determine whether or not the Real VAWA passes. With that said, the National Task Force to End Domestic Violence has issued “A Call to Action!” on Wednesday, November 13th, 2012 to reauthorize the real VAWA. In these final days Congress must see a groundswell that cannot be ignored.
Every person concerned about the health and well-being of women is needed now to raise their voice and tell Congress not to go backward but move forward to reauthorize the Real VAWA. It is important to get a Violence Against Women Act passed that protects ALL victims. The calls, emails, letters, and tweets to date have worked and now is the time to take it a step further. It is important to show Congress how important the real Violence Against Women Act is to victims, survivors, advocates, and concerned citizens across the country.[iv]
Please tell your friends, families and everyone you know who cares about eradicating domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking that . All victims need protection and it is important to tell the world why on the National Day of Action. Congress must pass a Violence Against Women Act!
Don’t forget to tweet about VAWA using the hashtags #ReauthorizeVAWA, #RealVAWA and #VAWA.
Tell Congress doing nothing is simply not an option!
Pre-election, everyone did a great job getting the word out and holding our elected officials to their obligation to address the concerns of all people. Now, we have to get them focused specifically on passing VAWA in the next six weeks!
Commit to ending domestic and sexual violence with this concrete action you can take to support VAWA:
TAKE ACTION TOMORROW!
Save Wednesday, November 14th, 2012, for a VAWA day of ACTION. “By the end of the day, every Member of Congress should hear a unified message: Work out the differences, pass VAWA before this Congress ends and you go home for the holidays. Do not let VAWA die and miss this chance to help victims find shelter, help and justice. There is precious little time left and victim’s lives and futures are in the balance.”[v]
“Join #PassVAWA2012 Social Media Campaign”[vi]
“Be a part of a ground-breaking campaign to leverage the full power of social media in fighting for the Reauthorization of VAWA!”[vii]
“Join the #PassVAWA2012 Facebook Photo Campaign to tell Congress that it’s time to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) ! It’s easy, just snap photos of you, your friends, your colleagues, & sympathetic strangers holding up signs saying why we need to Pass VAWA NOW! Submit your photos via email to lccref@gmail.com or tweetpic with #PassVAWA2012.”[viii]
For more details and sample campaign tweets check out the tool kit on www.4VAWA.org!
Source(s): National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) Action Alert. National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) Action Alert
Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art
[i] National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) Action Alert. National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) Action Alert.
[ii] National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) Action Alert. National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) Action Alert.
[iii] National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) Action Alert. National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) Action Alert.
[iv] National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) Action Alert. National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) Action Alert.
[v] National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) Action Alert. National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) Action Alert.
[vi] National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) Action Alert. National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) Action Alert.
[vii] National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) Action Alert. National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) Action Alert.
[viii] National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) Action Alert. National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) Action Alert.
Tell Congress to Send a Strong, Bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to President Barack Obama
Congress went on recess without reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. The United States Senate passed its version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization bill by 68 to 31 which protects all victims of domestic violence. In the U.S. House of Representatives, the unacceptable Adams version of VAWA narrowly passed by a vote of 222-205. Tell Congress to send President Barack Obama a strong, bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization bill that protects ALL vulnerable victims. While your representatives are on recess in their home state, tell them that all victims of domestic violence must receive protection under the law.
ACTION:
Contact our elected officials in our home state about the importance of sending President Obama a strong, bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization bill that protects ALL vulnerable victims. To make our work easier the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women prepared a model advocacy letter on this issu which appears below.
Draft Letter to Legislator:
“I/we urge you to encourage your party’s leaders to move swiftly to a conference or agreement on VAWA and send the President a strong, bipartisan Violence Against Women Act reauthorization bill that protects all vulnerable victims.”
“For nearly 20 years, Congress has recognized the severity of violence against women and our need for this landmark federal law’s comprehensive approach. VAWA truly provides life-saving protections and services needed by victims and their families. It is unacceptable that this law has become politicized while three women a day are still killed by an intimate partner. Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence need a VAWA law that does not roll back protections for immigrant women and their families; includes protections for all victims, including the LGBT community and Native women; and directs resources to this urgent task in the most effective way possible.”
“VAWA must also include the strongest protections for victims on campus and in public housing; protect the ability of criminal justice officials and community stakeholders to provide input to the state grant STOP planning process; and be free of overly burdensome and bureaucratic requirements for victim services providers struggling to be present for every victim every day. I strongly urge Congress to quickly move past politics and send a VAWA reauthorization bill to the President that he can immediately sign.”
The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women urges us not to forget to tweet about VAWA using the hashtags #ReauthorizeVAWA, #RealVAWA and #VAWA.
Source: National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women Action Alert
Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art
Tell Congress to Send a Strong, Bipartisan VAWA to President Obama
Recently, the U.S. Senate passed its version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization bill by 68 to 31 which protects all victims of domestic violence. In the U.S. House of Representatives, the unacceptable Adams version of VAWA narrowly passed by a vote of 222-205.
This evening, the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women sent out an Action Alert urging Congress to rise above the political bickering, to move swiftly to conference, and send the President a strong, bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization bill that protects ALL vulnerable victims.
ACTION:
National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women urges us to contact our elected officials in Washington about the importance of sending President Obama a strong, bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization bill that protects ALL vulnerable victims. To make our work easier the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women prepared a model advocacy letter on this issu which appears below.
Draft Letter to Legislator:
“I/we urge you to encourage your party’s leaders to move swiftly to a conference or agreement on VAWA and send the President a strong, bipartisan Violence Against Women Act reauthorization bill that protects all vulnerable victims.”
“For nearly 20 years, Congress has recognized the severity of violence against women and our need for this landmark federal law’s comprehensive approach. VAWA truly provides life-saving protections and services needed by victims and their families. It is unacceptable that this law has become politicized while three women a day are still killed by an intimate partner. Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence need a VAWA law that does not roll back protections for immigrant women and their families; includes protections for all victims, including the LGBT community and Native women; and directs resources to this urgent task in the most effective way possible.”
“VAWA must also include the strongest protections for victims on campus and in public housing; protect the ability of criminal justice officials and community stakeholders to provide input to the state grant STOP planning process; and be free of overly burdensome and bureaucratic requirements for victim services providers struggling to be present for every victim every day. I strongly urge Congress to quickly move past politics and send a VAWA reauthorization bill to the President that he can immediately sign.”
The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women urges us not to forget to tweet about VAWA using the hashtags #ReauthorizeVAWA, #RealVAWA and #VAWA.
Source: National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women Action Alert
Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization: Will it be H.R. 4970 or H.R. 4271?
Last week, the US Senate reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Originally enacted in 1994, VAWA provides federal funding toward the prosecution of violent crimes against women and includes provisions for undocumented immigrant women. Today, Reform Immigration FOR America’s Action Alert discusses the VAWA Reauthorization bills before the House. In Reform Immigration FOR America’s Action Alert, it shared that the house has before it the Adams-Foxx-Cantor proposal (H.R. 4970) and the H.R. 4271 version introduced by US Representative Gwen Moore.
Now, the VAWA reauthorization bill passed by the Senate is before the US House of Representatives. But those vital protections for immigrant women in the Senate version of VAWA are removed from the Adams-Foxx-Cantor proposal before the House. In fact, the Adams-Foxx-Cantor proposal (H.R. 4970) gives abusers more power, not less, over their victims. Tell your representatives in Washington, DC: Support all women. Support H.R. 4271 (US Representative Gwen Moore VAWA Proposal) and oppose H.R. 4970 (Adams-Foxx-Cantor VAWA Proposal).
H.R. 4970 (Adams-Foxx-Cantor proposal) would require survivors of domestic violence and other crimes to be interviewed by local immigration offices, not specifically trained in victim issues.
H.R. 4970 (Adams-Foxx-Cantor proposal) requires women to report abuses within 60 days, placing further restrictions on women who have limited access to services, fear law enforcement, or may have language barriers to report the crimes committed against them.
H.R. 4970 (Adams-Foxx-Cantor proposal) would allow abusers to participate in the self-petition process — a process that allows women married to citizens or Legal Permanent Residents to apply for legal status without their spouse using their immigration status as a tool of abuse.
As Reform Immigration FOR America shared in its Action Alert, there is another option—-H.R. 4271 version introduced by US Representative Gwen Moore.
US Representative Gwen Moore has introduced her version of VAWA (H.R. 4271) which protects immigrant women. Congresswoman Moore’s bill makes sure that every single woman in this country can fully access the protection granted under a true Violence Against Women Act.
Congresswoman Moore’s bill ensures the protections all women – including immigrant women – have received for 18 years under VAWA remain intact.
With your help, advocates for battered women and their children can stop the Adams-Foxx-Cantor bill and support a bill that would keep immigrant women safe. Please tell your representative now to support H.R. 4271 and oppose H.R. 4970.
Source(s): Reform Immigration FOR America. www.congress.org.
Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art
Senate Reauthorizes Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
This week, the US Senate voted overwhelmingly to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Here is how the VAWA reauthorization vote went in the US Senate: sixty-eight (68) in favor, thirty-one (31) against. Each of the thirty-one (31) senators who voted against it were Republican men. It should be noted that these thirty-one (31) men are the only senators to ever cast a vote against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. Previously, the Senate reauthorized VAWA unanimously twice.
As has been stated on countless occasions by leaders of the Democratic Party, the Republican Party of today is a different breed altogether. If it comes down to scoring points with the GOP base or protecting women, they are going to choose their base every time as stated by the Chairperson of the Democratic Party.
Next, this important piece of legislation goes to the House. It has been reported that the House GOP is planning on introducing a bill with the same name, but their version of the Violence Against Women Act will likely strip out the very provisions protecting Native Americans, undocumented immigrants, and LGBT Americans that the Democrats just fought for. Before the House votes on the bill, before the GOP even introduces it, Democrats are launching campaigns designed to inform the public about who is really fighting for women.
Source(s): www.congress.org. www.democrats.org.
Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art.
VAWA Reauthorization Battle in the US Senate
The Violence Against Women’s Act (VAWA) has saved countless lives. Since this bipartisan legislation first passed in 1994, it’s been reauthorized twice without much difficulty. And it has been tremendously successful in helping to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The US House of Representative failed to reauthorize the Act. VAWA is in jeopardy of not being reauthorized by the US Senate. It appears that the Republicans are willing to throw away the entire law now that it helps protect lesbians, gay men, undocumented immigrants, and Native Americans.
The Senate’s voting on the Act any moment now, and people concerned about the health and well-being of ALL victims need to put pressure on the GOP to pass VAWA. Before the vote, stand with me for all victims of domestic violence — no matter who they are: Add your name in support of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.
Since this law passed, it has helped reduce the annual rate of domestic violence by an astounding 53 percent. The rate of women killed by an intimate partner has dropped 34 percent. Its programs, including violence prevention programs, shelters and rape crisis centers, and funding for the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes have made a world of difference in giving victims of violence a safe place to turn. It has without a doubt saved thousands of lives. At this juncture, the Senate Republicans are ready to roll back all the progress that has been made.
This year’s Act would make sure that LGBT Americans receive equal treatment for services, it would make it easier for undocumented immigrants to come forward as victims and provide temporary visas in certain cases, and let Native Americans on reservations go to tribal courts for abuse cases. With these additional protections, the GOP has promised to fight it every step of the way. If Congress votes against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, all of these programs could grind to a halt, and the hundreds of thousands of women who rely on them will once again be left on their own.
Before the Senate votes this week, add your name in support of protecting all victims of domestic and sexual violence, no matter who they are:
http://my.democrats.org/Reauthorize-the-Violence-Against-Women-Act.
Source(s): NCADV. Democratic Party Action Alert
Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art
VAWA ACTION ALERT
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women – more than car accidents, muggings, and rape combined. And studies suggest that up to ten (10) million children witness some form of domestic abuse annually. Everyone has a right to be safe.
Research data indicates that when different members of the community coordinated their efforts to protect battered women and hold batterers accountable, these efforts were more successful. Coordination helps to ensure that the system works faster and better for victims, that victims are protected and receive the services they need, and that batterers are held accountable and cease their abusive behavior.
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) gives law enforcement, prosecutors and judges the resources they need to hold offenders accountable, keeps communities safe while supporting victims, and provides critical funding for prevention and education. The Violence Against Women Act has always had as its core mission to protect and serve ALL[i] victims of intimate partner violence and to tear down barriers that stand in the way of victim safety and access to justice.
VAWA is up for reauthorization. The National Coalition Against Domestic (NCADV) issued a series of action alerts related to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization. In its action alerts, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reminds us that the Violence Against Women Act, ”VAWA is a cost-effective, time-tested, constitutionally sound compendium of laws that guarantees equal protection to all victims seeking help under its auspices. Victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking look to Congress to keep this critical program going.”
Today, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Network to End Sexual and Domestic Violence issued an action alert concerning the importance of getting the US Senate to vote on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The action alert reads as follows:
Urge Senator Reid to schedule a vote THIS WEEK! VAWA (S. 1925) has 61 sponsors -and Senate Majority Leader Reid has still not called the bill to the floor! In the meantime, victims and survivors of violence are being ignored and those who oppose VAWA are developing alternative bills that would undercut VAWA. Tell Senator Reid that victims and survivors do not have time to wait and he must call the bill to the floor this week. Tell your Senators to support S. 1925, the real VAWA! TAKE ACTION: 1. Urge Senator Reid to schedule VAWA for a vote THIS WEEK. 2. Write a letter to the editor to get the real VAWA to the Senate floor (sample below!).
Action 1: S. 1925 has enough sponsors to go to the Senate floor for a vote without a filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has the power to schedule VAWA for a vote. Ask him to schedule a vote THIS WEEK.
Suggested message: “Senator Reid, you have 61 co-sponsors. You can get a vote for cloture now. In the meantime, those who oppose VAWA are developing a bill that will undercut everything VAWA stands for. Please schedule a date in April so that S.1925, the real VAWA,will be heard on the Senate floor.”
If you are not from Nevada, call 202-224-3542 (D.C. office).
If you are from Nevada, call 775-686-5750 (Reno office).
Action 2: Write a letter to the editor to get VAWA to the Senate Floor! Find suggested language below which you should feel free to edit and personalize. Find media contacts in your area: http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/media.
To The Editor:
The Violence Against Women Act, S. 1925, is a strong, bipartisan, filibuster-proof bill that will reauthorize essential laws and programs for another five years and build on effective, existing programs to meet the changing needs of victims of domestic and sexual violence. This legislation, introduced by Senator Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Crapo (R-ID), currently has 61 co-sponsors, including eight Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has yet to call the bill to the Senate floor for a vote that would demonstrate Congress’ commitment to end this violence. Delaying this vote threatens the progress our country has made toward ending domestic and sexual violence and building safer communities.
VAWA saves lives and money - $12.6 billion in its first 6 years alone. Approximately $400 million in annual funding supports local law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and victim services. Since its passage in 1994, all states have strengthened rape laws and the number of individuals killed by an intimate partner has decreased by 34% for women and 57% for men.
Critics of the Leahy-Crapo bill fear that the bill will help “too many” victims. Critics say S. 1925 gives immigrants a “new” way to enter the U.S., while in reality, provisions to protect abused immigrants have been in place since 1994. They also claim S. 1925 would force all domestic violence and sexual assault programs to serve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) victims or be charged with discrimination. In reality, S. 1925 has a provision that allows states to fund services specifically targeted to LGBT victims, who are often turned away or denied services because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. They say S. 1925 violates the Constitution by giving tribal courts the authority to punish non-Indians for committing domestic violence on tribal lands where 1 in 3 American Indian women will be raped in their lifetime. In fact, S. 1925 requires tribal courts to provide the same Constitutional protections afforded to defendants in state criminal courts.
Senate leadership must move quickly to bring S. 1925 to the floor. A vote for the Leahy-Crapo bill says, unequivocally, to all victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, “We will help you wherever and whenever you need help.” The time has come for Senator Reid to call this bill to the floor and once again reauthorize this critical legislation.
Sincerely,
[Name, Title, Organization, Contact Info]
With an equal amount of conscience, mind, heart, and collective action we can end violence against women. Toward that end, support the reauthorization of VAWA by calling your Senator this week.
Source: NCADV Action Alert, April 17, 2012.
Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art
VAWA Reauthorization 2011
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women – more than car accidents, muggings, and rape combined. And studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic abuse annually. Everyone has a right to be safe. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) gives law enforcement, prosecutors and judges the resources they need to hold offenders accountable, keeps communities safe while supporting victims, and provides critical funding for prevention and education.
VAWA is up for reauthorization. Recently, the National Coalition Against Domestic (NCADV) issued an action alert related to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization. In its action alert, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reminds us that the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is up for reauthorization in 2011. NCADV also reminds us that, “VAWA is a cost-effective, time-tested, constitutionally sound compendium of laws that guarantees equal protection to all victims seeking help under its auspices. Victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking look to Congress to keep this critical program going.”
The Violence Against Women Act has always had as its core mission to protect and serve ALL[i] victims of intimate partner violence and to tear down barriers that stand in the way of victim safety and access to justice. Currently, S. 1925 has fifty-seven (57) Senate sponsors. In order to avoid a filibuster, NCADV is actively working to secure a total of sixty (60) sponsors by March 20, 2012.
As previously stated, VAWA was always intended to serve ALL survivors. Every version of the bill since 1994 has worked to improve awareness about and expansion of prevention programs and the provision of services that included all victims of sexual, domestic, dating and stalking violence. S. 1925 enhances protections for “underserved populations”[ii]. The Leahy/Crapo Bill (S.1925) continues this intent by offering a gateway for greater reach to all victims by: an improved definition of underserved; an enhanced underserved populations grant program; and specific supports throughout VAWA for underserved populations. When you talk with your Senators, please tell them to support S. 1925 because it opens doors for all victims.
NCADV’s suggested actions related to the reauthorization of VAWA for this week include:
1. To secure a total of sixty (60) sponsors by March 20, 2012. If your Senator is not a VAWA sponsor, call them at their Hill office, ask for the staff person who handles VAWA and offer to help them convince their Senator to sponsor S. 1925.
2. Call and ask Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to schedule a vote on VAWA.
3. Tweet about the importance of VAWA Reauthorization- Join the twitter carnival for #ReauthorizeVAWA on Wednesday, March 7th at 12pm EST, 11am CST, 10am MST, 9am PST.
Action 1: If your Senator is one of the forty-three (43) who are NOT sponsors of VAWA, call their office today (http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm) and ask them to co-sponsor S. 1925: When you call, tell your Senator that only S. 1925 represents real, critical, lifesaving protections for ALL victims and all other versions fall short. To assist you with preparation for the call to your elected officials’ office, you may want to read NCADV’s talking points (http://4vawa.org/pages/s1925-is-the-real-vawa) about why S. 1925 is the only REAL VAWA. Additionally, it would be helpful to review the list of sponsors for the bill. To obtain the list of sponsors you can visit: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php and type in the bill S.1925 for a list of sponsors and thank your Senator if he/she is already a co-sponsor.
NCADV suggested Senators who should be a VAWA sponsor:
Former Sponsors of VAWA in the Senate
Six (6) Senators have been VAWA sponsors in the past. NCADV posits that perhaps these former sponsors of VAWA need to be persuaded to sponsor the bill again. These elected officials need to reminded that VAWA programs and services are under-funded and under attack. It’s time to step up for victims of sexual assault and dating, domestic and stalking violence. The following senators are former sponsors of VAWA and need to be called about sponsoring the reauthorization of VAWA: Cochran, Thad (R – MS), Cornyn, John (R – TX), Grassley, Chuck (R – IA), Hatch, Orrin (R – UT), Hutchison, Kay Bailey (R – TX), and Snowe, Olympia (R – ME).
Senators that expressed an interest in VAWA
It has been reported that there are Senators who have expressed interest in (or should care about) VAWA and some have been supportive of program funding and services in the past. Ask the following Senators to step up to this crisis and sponsor VAWA: Alexander, Lamar (R – TN), Ayotte, Kelly – (R – NH), Enzi, Michael (R – WY), Graham, Lindsey (R – SC), Heller, Dean (R – NV), Kyl, Jon – (R – AZ), and Lugar, Richard (R – IN).
Action 2: Call Senator Reid’s office with this message: “We need Senator Reid to continue to be our champion for the whole country. Thank you for cosponsoring the Violence Against Women Act. Please schedule S. 1925 for a floor vote as soon as possible.”
If you are not from Nevada: 202-224-3542 (DC office)
If you are from Nevada: 775-686-5750 (Reno office)
Action 3: Participate in the #ReauthorizeVAWA Twitter Carnival on Wednesday, March 7th at 12pm EST, 11am CST, 10am MST, 9am PST. NCADV is seeking to make #ReauthorizeVAWA a trending topic on twitter. In order to do that NCADV needs a lot of people to tweet messages including the hashtag #ReauthorizeVAWA in a SHORT amount of time.
Here are some sample tweets proposed by NCADV:
We urge all Senators to support the real #VAWA that helps all victims- S. 1925. #ReauthorizeVAWA now! 4vawa.org.
Bring the real VAWA to the Senate floor for a vote NOW. #ReauthorizeVAWA now! 4vawa.org.
NCADV reminds us that, if we will not be in front of our computer(s) or hand-held(s) at noon that we can still send out the post on twitter at noon by signing up for http://www.hootsuite.com and scheduling your message to post on March 7 at noon (just make sure you’re time settings are for EST). During the Twitter Carnival, NCADV encourages us to retweet and respond to the twitters of others – always including #ReauthorizeVAWA.
You can share with your friends on Facebook, or Tweet about the importance of VAWA’s Reauthorization. The most effective way to ensure that VAWA secures sixty sponsors is through conversations between friends and family. Would you take a minute and speak to a few people in your social networks whom you think would be willing to join in the effort to secure the reauthorization of VAWA?
Why am I asking? It’s simple. You know your friends better than I do. You know which of them are most passionate about this issue. And you’re the person who can best tell them why this issue is worth their time and energy.
So please share with your friends on Facebook,Twitter, WordPress, and Tumblr about the importance of VAWA Reauthorization– it won’t take long. Together, we can get VAWA reauthorized.
[i] S.1925 is no different, particularly when it comes to Native women. S.1925 contains language that would remove some of the systemic barriers that prevent American Indian and Alaska Native victims from bringing their perpetrators to justice. These tribal improvements included in VAWA are also contained within S. 1763, the Stand Against Violence & Empower Native Women Act (SAVE Native Women Act) and they are essential to the safety of Native women.
[ii] Underserved populations are those who are provided with inadequate or non-existent services. Since 1994, VAWA has been about opening doors for all victims of sexual and domestic violence who have historically been ignored or provided with inadequate or substandard treatment and services – whether due to insufficient funds and scarce resources or discriminatory practices.
