Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement on the 20th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which was signed into law on September 13, 1994. WATCH an interactive timeline of Senator Murray’s efforts to reauthorize VAWA after it expired in September 2011 (click arrows to scroll).
“For two decades, VAWA has allowed women to escape lives afflicted by violence and abuse. And thankfully in 2013, after over 16 months of struggle, tribal women, the LGBT community, immigrants, and women on college campuses were also afforded the same tools this life-saving law provides.
“Since we took that historic step, VAWA has been a great success in coordinating victims’ advocates, social service providers, and law enforcement professionals to meet the immediate challenges of taking on domestic violence. It provides shelter and justice to battered women who need both, and it is the cornerstone of our efforts to combat domestic violence.
“It has been one of the honors of my time here in the Senate to ensure that VAWA’s protections extend to all victims, regardless of who they love, where they live, or their immigration status. Throughout the last twenty years, countless women have had the courage to come forward and tell painful stories about why this bill was so vital to them. And while our nation continues to engage in a critical conversation over domestic violence, we must renew our urgency to ensure all victims have the full scope of justice on their side.”
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