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State Men's Commission Supports Violence Against Women Act, With Changes
Concord, NH: The New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Men voted
last Wednesday to support efforts to make the federal Violence Against
Women Act (VAWA) gender-inclusive.
The resolution states: "The Commission on the Status of Men supports the
renewal of the Violence Against Women Act only if it is made
gender-neutral in language, intent, and application."
The declaration is one indicator of growing support for a grassroots
movement which aims to make VAWA funding available to traditionally
under-served populations. Awareness of the social problem of abused men
has increased significantly since the law was first enacted in 1995.
"Now that the Violence Against Women Act is up for renewal, we should
take this opportunity to make sure it serves victims based on need, not
on gender," said Commissioner Michael Geanoulis, who supported the
resolution. "Domestic violence organizations which offer full services
for men are few and far between, and they're struggling desperately for
funding to meet the needs of the community."
These needs are not currently being met by traditional service providers
in the granite state, which do not provide shelters for men or
equivalent services that are offered to women, according to Commissioner
Geanoulis.
The Commission's resolution supports making funds available on a
gender-inclusive basis, and does not call for a minimum percentage or
dollar amount to be allocated to services that focus specifically on
men.
One local domestic violence organization which currently doesn't receive
VAWA funds is the NH chapter of Stop Abuse for Everyone (SAFE-NH). Lee
Newman, the group's Executive Director, said "Our organization serves as
proof that when services are offered which specifically target men and
other under-served victim populations, these victims will seek out the
help they need and are entitled to." SAFE-NH has received 1,580 calls on
their domestic violence helpline between October 2002 and December 2004.
1,117 of them were regarding men who were being abused.
The reauthorization of VAWA has gained the attention of many gender
equality activists, and lobbying efforts to make the bill
gender-inclusive have been led by David R. Burroughs, Esq, Legislative
Consultant for the Safe Homes for Children and Families Coalition
(www.vawa4all.org).
"Congress is receptive to our message in a way it was not five years ago
during the last VAWA reauthorization. We are hopeful that this time
around the Congress will vote not only to end domestic violence, but to
uphold the 14th Amendment requirement of equal protection while doing
so," said Attorney Burroughs.
Burroughs gained nationwide attention when his group raised the funds to
rent three public billboards for the summer in Delaware, home of VAWA's
primary sponsor, Senator Joe Biden. The billboards urge Senator Biden to
make the Violence Against Women Act gender-inclusive.
VAWA is undergoing legislative work sessions in the House and Senate
Subcommitties on Crime this month, and is expected to be voted upon this
fall.
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This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
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by SacredNaCl on 12:36 AM July 7th, 2005 EST (#1)
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Of course, you wont get exactly what you ask for. Ohh, they will be gender inclusive, but the people on the committees that actually dole out the money are going to be the same ones that do now, and its going to go to the same organizations that do now (or pretty much ones with the same bad ideas). Worse, you'll empower them as the voice of mens rights if you aren't careful.
Trying to get a government solution this way is quite simply, and I'm not going to say it any nicer: A nice sounding way of taking it in the ass.
Better off just trying to defeat VAWA outright, and if you fail in that to create and try to get your own funding for DV. Its fine to raise hell and gripe about it being the way it is, but you really don't want what will happen if you are actually successful in modifying VAWA. Why not try for a Dept. Of Mens Health instead? Branch out to where there aren't established players, and then you have something to build from.
NH Men's Commission, listen up -- Trust me on this one, you don't know what you are doing if you think you can turn this into something good.
Freedom Is Merely Privilege Extended Unless Enjoyed By One & All.
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by Anonymous User on 10:49 AM July 7th, 2005 EST (#3)
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Better off just trying to defeat VAWA outright, and if you fail in that to create and try to get your own funding for DV.
I think that's an extremely naive thing to propose. The DV machinery that has been put into place by VAWA is its de facto lobbying group right now, and there is no way they could fail in getting VAWA renewed. It just isn't conceivable.
And where would this money to fund male shelters for DV come from? The few orgs out there which sincerely help men have been begging for money for years and are nowhere near providing enough services for their clients. How much money have you donated to, for example, the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men?
It is much better to use VAWA's renewal as a stepping stone to bring fairness to men. Even if less than a percent of the billions of dollars that come from VAWA make it to shelters for men, that would be orders of magnitude more than any other funding source has provided them with so far.
In an ideal world, I might agree with you - VAWA is flawed and we'd be better off without it completely. But even our heavily conservative administration doesn't dare to confront the political issue that VAWA represents.
We can't afford to have our head in the clouds when it comes to something like this. A unified voice supporting a gender inclusive VAWA is needed, or we're going to fail yet again and end up with the status quo.
AUmen
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by SacredNaCl on 07:17 AM July 8th, 2005 EST (#4)
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I've never said they can't ask the government for money. Hell, everyone else does, even IBM. But if you go as a rider on VAWA you can guarantee it wont go to the people who would be beneficial to us. If you ask for it seperately with your own orgs and plan in mind, you have a infinitely better shot at steering it, getting it, and it actually being useful to those that need it. The last thing we need is the people who run womens services now to be running mens services - and if you go as a rider on VAWA that is exactly what you will get, no question about it. Of course, you probably wont even get to speak, the hearings are a stacked deck and you & I know that.
I think going for the Dept. Of Men's Health first is a better road if you want government involvement that is meaningful. It gives you a chance to get credible people, see how they do, let them make friends and inroads in places, and those people that show they can work the system for our benefit make excellent people to put on the later board to bring some justice to DV legislation.
I understand your criticism, but you are simply flat out wrong. You have an idealistic view of government...Perhaps you would like to view your states local "Gender Bias In The Courts" documents, and after you review them, lets see how well you think your organization would fare if those people who made those rulings on the gender bias committees were deciding your funding. Mmmmmhhh Ohh, you think that wont happen?
Some folks I know had a misguided idea that they could work within the government to help those in chronic pain & doctors who treat pain, so they asked to form a committee, and then they changed their minds when all of the sudden the entire committee was staffed by DEA agents and prosecutors. This is how things are done my friend. When you are walking on established turfs, these folks have full timers to watch and circle the wagons on anything to cut into their funding. You wont get far doing that usually, and it will usually backfire in that they get the funding you sought and control over it and if anything is going to be done it will be the opposite of what you want...Oh, it might have a pretty name that sounds like your cause, but it wont be your cause.
This is why trying for a mens health dept makes more sense. You can find players easily, and anyone seriously opposing it wont have a turf to defend, and those in that 'other' dept are only concerned if it will hurt their budget, and once they know it wont, it doesn't matter to them. The other criticims will be easily turned aside.
Freedom Is Merely Privilege Extended Unless Enjoyed By One & All.
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by Anonymous User on 02:09 AM July 7th, 2005 EST (#2)
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The status of men is doing a good job in pointing out that vawa needs to be gender inclusive
Perhaps the people on this board should be forced to have real masculists sit on that board and to dole money out for male victims that way we'll have representation.
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[an error occurred while processing this directive]
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Concord, NH: The New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Men voted
last Wednesday to support efforts to make the federal Violence Against
Women Act (VAWA) gender-inclusive.