Sign the Petition: Urge Senators to Co-Sponsor the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act

U.S. Congress

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) ran out of authorization Oct. 1, 2018, although funding for its many critical programs continues. However, VAWA’s future is precarious, subject to the whims of government shutdowns and continuing resolutions. The programs, services and lives of survivors across the country are in limbo.  VAWA 2019 needs to be passed immediately, guaranteeing five more years of help and hope for survivors of sexual, domestic and dating violence and stalking.

This landmark law was originally passed in 1994 to protect domestic violence survivors and survivors of sexual violence by providing funding for survivor services like emergency shelters,  counseling, and much more. Since 1994, VAWA has been reauthorized with bipartisan support in the years 2000, 2005 and 2013. Each time, programs were fine-tuned, improvements were made and important constituencies gained protections under the law.

Now that H.R.1585 has passed in the House, it is absolutely crucial that every single Senator works to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act IMMEDIATELY with all proposed improvements.

These additions include gun safety measures to decrease firearm-related domestic homicides, protecting families living in federal housing from evictions when abusers act violently, and addressing the reality that Native women and children endure domestic and sexual violence at rates higher than the national average by providing legal avenues for holding non-Native abusers and predators accountable.

VAWA has had a profound impact on survivors’ lives by providing funding for programs and services to support close to 50,000 survivors and provide over a million victim services between 2014 and 2016 alone.

We must urge Members of Congress to reauthorize VAWA so that advocates working everyday can continue to support survivors as they rebuild their lives and seek justice and safety.

Participating Organizations:
Daily Kos
Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS)
Iron PAC
KAN-WIN
National Organization for Women (NOW)
Progress America
The Other 98%


Sponsored by
Additional Sponsors

To: U.S. Congress
From: [Your Name]

The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 (VAWA) is an important piece of legislation that provides tens of thousands of survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their families with critical resources. It is imperative that you reauthorize VAWA with all proposed improvements and with NO amendments that would exclude certain groups of providers and survivors as they seek justice, healing and safety. Survivors’ lives depend on VAWA!