Another law I signed ensures we continue to sustain the Crime Victims Fund to help domestic violence survivors cover abuse-related costs like medical bills, lost wages, and temporary housing. Last year, I also signed the most significant gun safety law we have had in nearly 30 years, which keeps firearms out of the hands of convicted domestic abusers. We brought the Federal Government’s investment in life-saving gender-based violence programs to $700 million this year alone - the highest funding level in history - and to $1 billion in next year’s budget. And last year, we reauthorized VAWA again and strengthened access to services for survivors from underserved and marginalized communities, expanded special Tribal criminal jurisdiction with support for Native communities, and recognized the need to combat cybercrimes and address online harassment and abuse. Since then, every time we have reauthorized VAWA, we have improved it - broadening its scope to include stalking and sexual assault in 2000, expanding access to services for immigrants and communities of color in 2005, and recognizing criminal jurisdiction of Tribal courts over non-Indian perpetrators and protections for LGBTQI+ individuals in 2013. It saved lives and helped survivors rebuild. And it helped to train police, advocates, prosecutors, and judges to make our justice system more responsive to survivors. It supported shelters, rape crisis centers, housing, and legal assistance, creating life-saving options for survivors and their children. It created the National Domestic Violence Hotline to provide confidential support nationwide. That law introduced our Nation to countless brave survivors, whose stories changed the way America saw this issue. I wrote the original Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1990, which made strides toward shifting the legal and social burdens away from survivors, holding offenders accountable, and addressing gendered violence as a shared priority with a determined and coordinated response. I have spent more than 30 years of my life working to change that - to end gender-based violence in the United States and around the world. Survivors sat in shame, and society often looked away from what people too often dismissed as a “family affair.” But just decades ago, much of our Nation wanted to keep the issue of domestic violence in the shadows. I was always taught there is no worse sin than the abuse of power, especially when that abuse is directed toward a partner. During National Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, we stand with the tens of millions of people who have experienced intimate partner violence, and we thank the first responders, service providers, and community members who work to make sure that every American can live in safety, with dignity and respect. Americans of every race, religion, and background are affected its consequences transcend generations, impacting children and reshaping whole families. Get Involved Show submenu for “Get Involved””ĭomestic violence touches every community in this Nation.The White House Show submenu for “The White House””.
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