Rep. Ellison Statement on the 20th Anniversary of VAWA

Statement

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) released the following statement ahead of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) into law by President Clinton.

"Since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, we've reduced the incidence of violence and given victims the confidence to speak out about abuse.

"Between 1993 and 2010, intimate partner violence declined by 67 percent. VAWA created stricter sentencing guidelines for repeat offenders and currently funds the training of 500,000 law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges to protect women and their families. The National Domestic Violence Hotline, created by VAWA, responds to 22,000 calls for help every month--92 percent of callers report it's their first call for help.

"Americans who become victims of sexual, domestic and emotional violence are safer today than they were before VAWA, but events surrounding Ray Rice and the NFL this week are a reminder that more must be done to empower victims and increase community awareness about domestic violence.

"Sheila Wellstone, who was instrumental in the passage of the 1994 bill, said about a woman's home being a potential deadly place, "It's time we tell the secret.' Community leaders must lead a frank discussion about domestic and sexual violence, exposing abusers and giving victims the power to report abuse. We shouldn't stop until we've reduced the incidence of violence to zero."

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