ACTION alert! VAWA is Under ATTACK!

[Triana]

Action Alert

Senate Stimulus Package Includes $$$ for VAWA and VOCA; House Does Not.

http://www.ncadv.org/files/Legislative%20Action%20Alert%20(January%2028%20%202009).pdf">VAWA is under attack!!! (Check this link for the entire thing!)

This week, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee passed a stimulus bill. The bill includes $300 million for VAWA state formula grants ($50 million for transitional housing) and $100 million for VOCA.

This is not a victory, however! Although the Senate's work is great, it is not final; the U.S. House of Representatives did not follow suit; and, starting today, Media RADAR* and others who piddle in VAWA reform will be on the Hill to lobby AGAINST the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

The TRUTH must be told!

YOU need to tell it!!

Times are tough and getting tougher. And, there is an anti-VAWA campaign in the making. Too much is at stake. WE ALL MUST ACT!!! This is an opportunity for us to join together to acquire funding that is critical to continuing our efforts to assist domestic violence and sexual assault victims in 2009. Let's work together to HOLD the Senate to its' pledge, HOLD the House to higher standards and HOLD off Media RADAR's fallacious anti-VAWA campaign.

The time to speak up is now!

Make your calls starting today!!

Make calls this week to your Members of Congress to tell them how domestic violence and sexual assault victims and their children have been saved and their lives rebuilt as a result of services available through VAWA, VOCA, FVPSA and other violence against women laws. Also, tell your Members about the toil of the tough economic times on domestic violence victims and services.

WHAT TO DO

1. Locate the phone number for the Washington, DC office of your U.S. District Representative and Senators. For more information on how to locate the phone numbers, http://www.ncadv.org/publicpolicy/ContactingCongress_84.html">click here.

2. When your call is answered, say your name, city and state, and ask to speak to the Staffer who works on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) or women's issues. 3. When the Staffer (or voicemail) answers, briefly introduce yourself (once again say your name, city and state, and organization, if applicable). Tell the Staffer that you are calling to ask:

Senator __?__ to "Support the life-saving and life-rebuilding programs of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) as provided for in the Appropriations Committee stimulus bill.

Representative __?__ to "Support millions of domestic violence victims and service providers by including in the final stimulus bill provisions for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), just as the Senate has done.

4. Tell the Staffer about the reality of domestic violence; the harshness of these economic times on victims and services; and the positive ways VAWA, VOCA, FVPSA and other violence against women programs have assisted domestic violence and sexual assault victims and service providers. Here are some examples:

Victims/Survivors: Briefly share with the Staffer your experience (and your children's experience, if applicable) as a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault. Also share how the services available to you at the local shelter or courthouse, or through the local law enforcement or legal agency were/are helpful during your time of crisis. If you have been denied services because of a lack of agency resources, tell the Staffer that as well so that he/she will know just how important full- and timely-funding is for violence against women programs.



Service Providers: Tell the Staffer how desperately victims need services and how the demand for services has increased while the funding for services has decreased, particularly in tough economic times. Tell the staffer how providers are losing jobs, and having to cut services and shut down programs to keep up with the economic crisis. Briefly share about effective domestic violence and/or sexual assault services and how much more effective services would be if programs were fully- and timely-funded. Tell the Staffer about the realities for domestic violence victims and their children. Tell the Staffer who generally is the real victim of domestic violence. Tell the Staffer how services are available to both child- and adult-male victims of violence.



Concerned Neighbor: Briefly share why you are committed to ending domestic violence and/or sexual assault. Talk about the story of someone you know, heard about on the news or read about in the newspaper, particularly if the story pertains to the economic crisis and domestic violence. Talk about the effects of domestic violence that you see in your community and what/how services or agencies have been helpful in assisting victims. Tell the Staffer of any effects on domestic violence victims and services as a



result of the poor economy. For more information about your community, contact a local domestic violence shelter or rape crisis center.

Here are some facts you can give the Staffer:

a. One in every four women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime.

b. Although most men are not batterers, most batterers (85%) are men.

c. In 2007, a 24-hour survey of domestic violence programs across the nation found that 53,203 victims were served in one day. Unfortunately, due to a lack of resources, there were 7,707 unmet requests for services.

d. The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health care services.

e. Domestic violence costs U.S. employers an estimated $3 to $13 billion annually.

f. Between 25% and 50% of domestic violence victims report that they have lost a job due, at least in part, to domestic violence.

g. Almost 50% of sexual assault survivors either lose their jobs or are forced to quit in the aftermath of the crime.

h. Since VAWA first passed in 1994:

1. More victims report domestic violence to the police: There has been a 27% to 51% increase in reporting rates by women and a 37% increase in reporting rates by men.

2. The rate of non-fatal intimate partner violence against women has decreased by 63%.

3. The number of individuals killed by an intimate partner has decreased by 24% for women and 48% for men.

4. VAWA saved nearly $14.8 billion in net averted social costs in its first six years alone.

5. If the Staffer would like more information about VAWA, VOCA, FVPSA or other violence against women laws, have him/her contact NCADV Policy Manager Terri Harper at 202.745.1211.

6. If the Staffer asks about specific claims made by RADAR or other VAWA reform groups, PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND. Have the Staffer contact NCADV Policy Manager Terri Harper at 202.745.1211. Or, contact the NCADV Policy Office immediately at 202.745.1211, and we will follow-up. Note: You do not need to, nor should you, mention RADAR's campaign to the Staffer. Simply report to the NCADV Policy Office any information you hear about RADAR visiting your Member of Congress.

Members Not to Miss!!!

We have reason to believe that RADAR may be meeting with mostly Republican Members of Congress during their Hill visits. Therefore, if you live in a Republican district or state, be sure to contact your Member of Congress this week. And, if your Member of Congress is listed below, it is imperative that you contact him/her this week, as he/she is one of the foremost decision makers on VAWA and VOCA.

U.S. Senators

U.S. Representatives

Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

John Conyers (D-MI)

Herb Kohl (D-WI)

Howard Berman (D-CA)

Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Rick Boucher (D-VA)

Russell Feingold (D-WI)

Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)

Charles Schumer (D-NY)

Robert "Bobby" Scott (D-VA)

Richard Durbin (D-IL)

Mel Watt (D-NC)

Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)

Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)

Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

Shelia Jackson-Lee (D-TX)

Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Maxine Waters (D-CA)

Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

William Delahunt (D-MA)

Edward Kaufman (D-DE)

Robert Wexler (D-FL)

Arlen Specter (R-PA)

Steve Cohen (D-TN)

[Triana]

1. What to know about "RADAR"

Media RADAR, also known as RADAR, is an organization that claims VAWA is not doing what it was designed to do—curb domestic violence—and, therefore, should be repealed. RADAR has been working to convince lawmakers that VAWA has been ineffective in the effort to end domestic violence and support victims, and asserts that women are just as violent as men. RADAR also alleges that VAWA has led to the frequent filing of false allegations of abuse, simply breaks up families, and always discriminates against male victims of violence, to name a few.

We’ve only just begun!!!

[musette_sf]

4. wow, they sound like

crybaby Repukes!

just sayin'....

[Sebass1271]

2. $ 100 million for VAWA?

do they need THAT MUCH???

I am just asking - nothing against the program. I am a woman and recognize that there are a lot of us afraid to speak up when we live under these conditions. However, i believe it is a legitimate question, and reasonable response would be very much appreciated. Do they need that MUCH? What will they do with 100 million?

Accountability please.

[ourbluenation]

5. Service provider here...

our DV/SA agency, like thousands across the country like us, receive the bulk of our funding from VAWA. In short, we would not exist without it. We are generally the only place a dv victim can go for emergency shelter, let alone counseling. We also provide legal assistance with tro's, group counseling, transitional housing, etc. That $100 mil is money well spent for a vital safety net.

[Triana]

7. It's sad but more agencies like yours are needed + even more funding...

...until/unless the epidemic of domestic violence/domestic abuse is stemmed.

[musette_sf]

3. K&R!

thank you Triana, i never knew about this sexist lying "RADAR" organization before!

what a bunch of lying pigs.

there is so much data on domestic violence that proves that WOMEN experience domestic violence in relationships FAR more than men ever did, do, or could.

Lundy Bancroft, the author of "Why Does He Do That"? (which many DV groups call "The Bible" on abusive and violent relationships), states that if one were to go to a hospital and ask for a comparison of how many beds were occupied by male victims of domestic violence by females, vs. beds occupied by female victims of domestic violence by men, the ratio of men in beds to women in beds would be so small as to be negligable.

and some corroboration from the corporate world: i just completed a course at work based on the book "Crucial Conversations", which deals with how to speak the truth and get results in difficult conversations and situations. part of the course material was a companion 6-CD set that i have been listening to while commuting. today, listening to disc 5, the topic of aggression and violence, and how to work through those to communicate, was brought up. the (male) narrator (one of the book's authors) laid it out as plain as could be, and i'm trying to quote as directly as possible: the problem is almost always with the people in the room with the Y chromosome.

it was a relief to hear this stated in a very corporate context. this wasn't information from a women's crisis center or a DV hotline, which could be easily dismissed and discounted by the type of males who advocate for this "RADAR" group. it was information from a well-established business-oriented enterprise that researches and reports on behavioral psychology in the workplace.

fortunately i am sure that Senator Boxer and Representative Stark are advocates for VAWA. but others elsewhere definitely need to get the word out about this!

[Triana]

6. Interesting about the "conversations" CD! That would have caught my attention too..

...and I have Bancoft's book.

We have GOT to counter these RADAR "women-as-property" jackasses.

[musette_sf]

9. upon further reflections on the "Crucial Conversations" curriculum,

i see that many of the tools and techniques that were taught for use in dealing with difficult situations and people, are very similar to those in books and articles about DV.

i felt such an odd sense of familiarity with the material while i was taking the class.

our instructor seems like a sensitive guy, and he's also a psychologist who specializes in marital and family counseling. he gave out his card at the end of the class so i am thinking of contacting him and mentioning the similarities. i think he knows this already and he might have some interesting feedback.

[Triana]

10. great idea - contact him . . .

I'd be interested to know what you found out from him about that. Can you PM me his name - and his response if you get one?

[musette_sf]

13. i forgot to mention

that after that "Y chromosome" statement is made, the other narrator (another author of the book) asks "Isn't that sexist to assert that?". the reply was "it could be seen that way, but the statistics make this a fact". (not exact quote but close)

[Stargleamer]

8. I thought U.S. vs. Morrison. . .

pretty much gutted the VAWA: <http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/99-5.ZS.html> I would be glad to know that this wasn't the case.

[Triana]

11. VAWA funding just barely got through last year...

..bu$hit sat on it - can't remember all the details but there was a big push to re-fund it - else organizations like the previous poster's (#5) would be out of business and victims with nowhere to turn.

They always put stuff like this in key legislation - women and women's rights (reproductive, human rights) are always on the chopping block - like cheap commodities to be dangled to garner votes.

And THAT practice itself ought to be outlawed. No 'carrot' legislation or 'poison pill' legislation allowed in these packages. They ought to be voted on openly and separately - not hidden in big pieces of legislation in hopes that no one will notice.

[ourbluenation]

12. hmmmm? The action alert is gone. n/t