Violence Against Women Act signed

President Barack Obama signed a new version of the Violence Against Women Act into law Thursday, ending what had been close to a year of uncertainty caused by opposition from some Republicans in Congress.

“One of the great legacies of this law is that it didn’t just change our rules, it changed our culture,” Obama said of the original 1994 act, which was in part shepherded by then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.). “It empowered people to start speaking out. It made it OK for us as a society to talk about domestic abuse. It made it possible for us as a country to address the problem in a real and meaningful way. And it made it clear to victims that they were not alone.”


“Today, because members of both parties worked together, we’re able to renew that commitment,” he added.

The new law, passed last week by the House, includes protections for illegal immigrants, Native Americans and people in same-sex relationships. Honoring new provisions giving tribal courts the authority to prosecute non-Native American suspects, the signing ceremony was held at the Interior Department.

“This is your day, the day of the advocates, the day of the survivors,” Obama said before signing the bill. “When the American people make their voices heard, Washington listens.” He thanked Republicans including Sen. Mike Crapo, of Idaho, for backing the bill.

Speaking ahead of the president, Biden recalled his role in passing the 1994 bill and argued that despite all the gains made in the past two decades, there’s still more to be done to combat violence against women. “With all of the law’s success, there are still too many women in this country who live in fear of violence, who are still prisoners of their own home, too many victims that we have to mourn,” he said.

One area for more action is on guns, Biden and Obama both said. The president applauded the Senate Judiciary Committee for approving a gun trafficking bill earlier Thursday, mentioning Hadiya Pendleton, the Chicago teen killed by gun violence barely a week after visiting Washington for hisinauguration.

“I urge the Senate to give that bill a vote, I urge the House to follow suit, and I urge Congress to move on other areas that have support of the American people, from requiring universal background checks to getting assault weapons off our seats because we need to stop the flow of illegal guns to criminals and because Hadiya’s family and too many other families really do deserve a vote,” Obama said.

After the initial passage in 1994, VAWA was renewed again in 2000 and 2005, before running into hurdles last year, when some conservative Republicans Last year, Senate Democrats’ version of the act was opposed by, who objected to its provisions giving new support to same-sex couples and illegal immigrants, who could gain access to temporary visas. The Senate passed it in April, while a separate version — leaving out the provisions for same-sex couples and illegal immigrants — later passed the House.

It was only in February, after the Senate again passed its version, that the House brought that version up for a vote. It passed 286-138, including the support of 87 Republicans. The new law also gives new jurisdiction to Native American tribal courts.

The signing came as the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported Thursday that violence against women and girls over the age of 12 dropped 64 percent between 1995 and 2005, and has still stayed constant, at 1.8 per 1,000 women. In 2010, 270,000 women experienced rapes or sexual assaults, down from 556,000 in 1995.

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), an author of the original House bill, said that she and her co-authors “never imagined the law would discriminate against anyone, so I am especially proud to have fought to ensure that LGBT, immigrant, and Native American victims are now entitled to the same protections as everyone else. Since its passage 18 years ago, the Violence Against Women Act has been responsible for a 64 percent reduction in cases of domestic violence. I won’t stop fighting on behalf of all victims until that number is 100 percent.”