Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The Violence Against Women Act: Thanks, Joe...

When it comes to women's rights in this election, only one ticket measures up: Obama/Biden.

Here is a recent statement by Women for Obama:
Senator Biden will hold a conference call with 500 advocates and victims who are activists against violence against women to announce the 2 millionth call to the Domestic Violence Hotline that he helped create this afternoon.

Approximately 1,400 women a year – four every day – die in the United States as a result of domestic violence. And 132,000 women report that they have been victims of a rape or attempted rape, and it is estimated that an even greater number have been raped, but do not report it.

Biden wrote and passed the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) which is the strongest legislation to date that criminalizes domestic violence and other forms of violence against women, provides victims with the support they deserve, and holds batterers accountable. Signed into law in 1994, the bill funds and helps communities, nonprofit organizations, and police combat domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

VAWA establishes a sexual assault services program and provides education grants to prevent domestic violence. Since VAWA was enacted, over 2,500 separate shelters, centers, and outreach offices have been established and the National Domestic Violence Hotline has received over 2 million calls. Shining a spotlight on this violence has resulted both in better supports for victims, and lowering the incident rate of domestic violence by 60%.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden will make ending violence against women and children a White House priority.

Chelsea Wilson was abused and because of the Violence Against Women Act, she was able to make sure that her abuser went to jail for 25 years. She now feels safe and can take care of her son without worrying about being attacked again. She shares her story in the video below...



Hotline advocates are available for victims and anyone calling on their behalf to provide crisis intervention, safety planning, information and referrals to agencies in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you or someone you know is frightened about something in your relationship, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224. For more information visit www.ndvh.org.

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