TL;DR An act (VAWA) has not been reauthorized and no longer protects women from the aftermath of * and sexual assault in the legal system. To help get this bill passed into law, sign the petition here: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/protect-rights-american-women-reauthorizing-violence-against-women-act-vawa. At 100,000 signatures, the White House will make an official statement in response, but it needs to be done by March 25th, 2019.


The hashtag “WhyIDidn’tReport” was trending on Twitter in September. A few memorable Tweets talk about how victims had reported… and then been disparaged, dismissed, and blamed. As the topic of * becomes more and more discussed among the American people, it’s important to consider how legislation can help to prevent further crimes against victims of harassment and sexual assault, especially women, who experience 91% of * and sexual assault (https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics) (https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/national-sexual-violence-resource-center-nsvrc). On September 30th, 2018, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), first enacted in 1994 and most recently renewed in 2013, expired (https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/democrats.judiciary.house.gov/files/documents/Fact%20Sheet%20VAWA%20.pdf). What this means is that the effects this law had on the American people and the ways that it protected them no longer apply, putting roughly 51% of the American population at great risk. Prior to the expiry of this act, Texas House Representative Jackson Lee proposed the bill titled Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2018 on July 26th, 2018 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6545/text?format=txt). The most recent action on this bill was taken on September 19th, 2018, referring it to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations. Unfortunately for American women, this means that the bill has not yet been passed into law, and as of today, February 22nd, 2018, the women of our nation no longer have VAWA to “hold rapists accountable for their crimes by strengthening federal penalties for repeat * offenders and creating a federal “* shield law,” which is intended to prevent offenders from using victims’ past sexual conduct against them during a * trial; • mandat that victims, no matter their income levels, are not forced to bear the expense of their own * exams or for service of a protection order”, not to mention the other purposes for VAWA that no longer protect women after its expiration (https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/docs/vawa_factsheet.pdf).
In a VAWA fact sheet put out from the Obama Administration (), the sheet states that

“VAWA has improved the criminal justice response to violence against women by:
• holding rapists accountable for their crimes by strengthening federal penalties
for repeat * offenders and creating a federal “* shield law,” which is
intended to prevent offenders from using victims’ past sexual conduct against
them during a * trial;
• mandating that victims, no matter their income levels, are not forced to bear the
expense of their own * exams or for service of a protection order;
• keeping victims safe by requiring that a victim’s protection order will be
recognized and enforced in all state, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions within
the United States;
• increasing rates of prosecution, conviction, and sentencing of offenders by
helping communities develop dedicated law enforcement and prosecution units
and domestic violence dockets;
• ensuring that police respond to crisis calls and judges understand the realities of
domestic and sexual violence by training law enforcement officers, prosecutors,
victim advocates and judges; VAWA funds train over 500,000 law enforcement
officers, prosecutors, judges, and other personnel every year;
• providing additional tools for protecting women in Indian country by creating a
new federal habitual offender crime and authorizing warrantless arrest authority
for federal law enforcement officers who determine there is probable cause
when responding to domestic violence cases.
VAWA has ensured that victims and their families have access to the services they need to
achieve safety and rebuild their lives by:
• responding to urgent calls for help by establishing the National Domestic
Violence Hotline, which has answered over 3 million calls and receives over
22,000 calls every month; 92% of callers report that it’s their first call for help;
• improving safety and reducing recidivism by developing coordinated
community responses that bring together diverse stakeholders to work together
to prevent and respond to violence against women,
• focusing attention on the needs of underserved communities, including creating
legal relief for battered immigrants so that abusers cannot use the victim’s
immigration status to prevent victims from calling the police or seeking safety,
and supporting tribal governments in building their capacity to protect
American Indian and Alaska Native women.
VAWA has created positive change. Since VAWA was passed:
• Fewer people are experiencing domestic violence.
 Between 1993 to 2010, the rate of intimate partner violence declined 67%;
 Between 1993 to 2007, the rate of intimate partner homicides of females
decreased 35% and the rate of intimate partner homicides of males
decreased 46%.
• More victims are reporting domestic and sexual violence to police, and reports
to police are resulting in more arrests.
• States have reformed their laws to take violence against women more seriously:
 All states have reformed laws that previously treated date or spousal * as
a lesser crime than stranger *;
 All states have passed laws making stalking a crime;
 All states have authorized warrantless arrests in misdemeanor domestic
violence cases where the responding officer determines that probable cause
exists;
 All states provide for criminal sanctions for the violation of a civil
protection order;
 Many states have passed laws prohibiting polygraphing of * victims;
 Over 35 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have
adopted laws addressing domestic and sexual violence, and stalking in the
workplace. These laws vary widely and may offer a victim time off from
work to address the violence in their lives, protect victims from employment
discrimination related to the violence, and/or provide unemployment
insurance to survivors who must leave their jobs because of the abuse.”

The act contributes strongly to the well-being of women, and if the act doesn't get passed women will continue to be at elevated levels of danger. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women will be raped at some point in their lives. VAWA's purpose is to lower this number and make America safer for 51% of its population. (https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/national-sexual-violence-resource-center-nsvrc)
Without this act in place, American women will continue to fail to report * or harassment, or be discounted, threatened, attacked, or further harassed if they do report.

If you feel, as I do, that this bill should be passed, please sign this petition: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/protect-rights-american-women-reauthorizing-violence-against-women-act-vawa. At 100,000 signatures, the White House will make a statement in response, so it is of paramount importance that this information be available to many people. Even if you aren't American, or currently do not live in America, your signature is greatly appreciated, as your voice on the issue deserves to be heard regardless of where you live. In addition to that, if America sets a poor example of how women should be treated, I fear that other countries may follow.

Sources:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6545/text?format=txt
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/docs/vawa_factsheet.pdf
https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/democrats.judiciary.house.gov/files/documents/Fact%20Sheet%20VAWA%20.pdf
https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics
https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/national-sexual-violence-resource-center-nsvrc

All of these sources, except for NSVRC, are government sources, and can therefore be counted on as reliable. NSVRC has been verfied by a government site as reliable.

I apologize, but why is this on Scratch?

oh jeez

MonsterGamerCodez wrote:

I apologize, but why is this on Scratch?

I'm trying to get this to reach a wider audience. I do understand that children use this website (as a child myself), but I believe that it's important for everyone to know about. Unfortunately, one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18, so it's especially important for children to know about, even if it makes people uncomfortable. (https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics)

Edit: fixed spelling lol i can come up with a relatively cohesive argument for a law to pass and form a petition but i can't spell especially

i totally understand!

memecraft wrote:

when green flag clicked
forever
ask [I understand where your coming from posting here but you should post this on reddit instead but you can still keep this thread here] and wait
end

reddit is blocked on my school comp sorry i do understand that there are othr platforms for this, but i dont have access to them