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VAWA Appropriations Hearings on April 5th – Call Senators ASAP
Although Senators Hatch and Biden have publicly stated that this
was always the intent of Congress, the majority of organizations in the Federal grants pipeline that are destined to receive VAWA funds remain
firmly convinced that domestic violence is caused by sexism and the
power and control of men over women in our society. This ideologically
held belief renders these organizations unable or unwilling to
recognize male victimization.
The majority of domestic violence organization websites
clearly document that those organizations ignore empirical
studies in favor of ideology, and they willingly and purposely
ignore male victimization.
Furthermore, restraining order abuse is rampant, as documented in
RADAR's recent report “Without Restraint: The Use and Abuse of
Domestic Restraining Orders” (http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/VAWA-Restraining-Orders.pdf)
Contrary to the original intent of restraining orders – to provide
protection to spouses who are in danger of being beaten and battered –
these orders are now granted for minor family disputes. And according
to a recent article in the Illinois Bar Journal, restraining orders
have become "part of the gamesmanship of divorce." Each year, half a
million restraining orders are issued without any allegation of
violence.
The temporary restraining order recently issued by New Mexico Judge Daniel Sanchez is only unusual because the target happened to be a
celebrity who could defend himself. Sanchez, for those who don't
remember, is the judge who issued an order against David Letterman,
based on the claim that Letterman had used code words, gestures and
"eye expressions" on the air to respond to a woman who said she'd been
communicating with him telepathically.
The issuance of millions of unfounded orders each year trivializes
and minimizes their effectiveness for those in real need of services
and assistance. And an increasing number of studies by the National
Institute of Justice and National Academy of Science document that
mandatory arrest and no drop prosecution policies create as many
problems as they solve.
The new RADAR report: “VAWA Programs Discriminate Against Male
Victims”, also documents many of the contemporary problems and
presents some solutions. (See http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/VAWA-Discriminates-Against-Males.pdf)
This week, it's extremely important to contact the following
members of the Appropriations Subcommittee before their April 5th
hearings.
| Senator |
Voice phone |
FAX |
| Thad Cochran |
202-224-5054 |
202-224-9450 |
| Richard Shelby |
202-224-5744 |
202-224-3416 |
When you call or fax them, ask them to get substantive answers to
the following questions during their hearings:
- How does the Violence Against Women Office plan to protect the
civil rights of innocent Americans falsely accused of domestic
violence?
- How does the Violence Against Women Office propose to monitor
compliance with Section 40002(b)(8) of VAWA 2005, whose purpose is to
prohibit discrimination against male victims?
As always, be polite and respectful in all your communications with
the Senators' offices.
Date of RADAR Release: April 2, 2006
R.A.D.A.R. – Respecting Accuracy in Domestic
Abuse Reporting – is a network of concerned
men and women working to assure that the problem of
domestic violence is treated in a balanced and
effective manner. http://www.mediaradar.org.
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Next Wednesday, April 5th, the Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee will hold hearings concerning funding for the Violence
Against Women Act. And for the first time since VAWA was initially
passed, the 2005 reauthorization bill includes language explicitly
stating that VAWA-funded benefits and services are to be available to
male as well as female victims.