President Barack Obama signed a law Thursday expanding protections for victims of domestic violence, renewing a measure — credited with curbing violence against women — a year and a half after it lapsed amid partisan bickering.
The revitalized Violence Against Women Act marked an important win for gay rights advocates and American Indians, who will see new protections under the law, and for Obama, whose attempts to push for a renewal failed last year after they became entangled in gender politics and the presidential election.
“This is your day. This is the day of the advocates, the day of the survivors. This is your victory,” Obama said. “This victory shows that when the American people make their voices heard, Washington listens.”
As Obama prepared to put his pen to the new law, new government data underscored both the progress that has been made and the enduring need to do more.
The rate of sexual violence against women and girls 12 or older fell 64% in a decade and has remained stable for five years, the Justice Department said in a survey released Thursday. In 2010, women and girls nationwide experienced about 270,000 rapes or sexual assaults, compared with 556,000 in 1995.
The survey also showed that the rate of rapes and sexual assaults involving women has plateaued while violent crime overall has declined. Women’s advocacy groups called the report proof that the Violence Against Women Act and heightened awareness of the problem by police has had a positive effect.
Still, 1 in 5 women will be raped during their lifetime, Obama said.
“One of the great legacies of this law is it didn’t just change the rules, it changed our culture. It empowered people to start speaking out,” Obama said.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, Attorney General Eric Holder and lawmakers from both parties joined Obama for the signing ceremony, as did Vice President Joe Biden, who wrote and sponsored the original law in 1994. Obama offered special thanks to Republicans, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who supported the renewal despite opposition from many in their party.
The law strengthens the criminal justice system’s response to crimes against women. Although the law was renewed twice with little resistance, it lapsed in 2011 when Republicans and Democrats couldn’t agree on a bill to renew it.
The Violence Against Women Act has set the standard for how to protect women, and some men, from domestic abuse and prosecute abusers. It is credited with helping reduce domestic violence incidents by two-thirds since its inception in 1994.
The renewal authorizes about $659 million a year over five years to fund current programs that provide grants for transitional housing, legal assistance, law enforcement training and hotlines.
It reauthorizes the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, adds stalking to the list of crimes that make immigrants eligible for protection, and authorizes programs dealing with sexual assault on college campuses and rape investigations.
