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On September 13th, the White House celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) ), a piece of landmark bipartisan legislation.  The topic of discussion was the ongoing efforts to address gender-based violence, and new action taken by the administration was highlighted. 

The event began with opening remarks from Jennifer Klein, the Director of the Gender Policy Council. Klein highlighted work from the administration over the years – starting with Biden’s drafting and introduction of VAWA in 1990 and ending with the recent VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022. Citing the tremendous progress that has been made, Klein didn’t hesitate to emphasize that “much work remains in the fight to prevent and end gender-based violence”. 

Klein was joined by Arati Prabhakar, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, who highlighted the impact of AI on gender-based violence – including deep fake and technology-facilitated violence. Prabhakar thanked survivors across the nation for the work and support they are doing to highlight and protect people from this abuse. 

Key action items from the Administration include: 

  • Investment of $690 million in FY2024 grant funding to support survivors of gender-based violence. 
  • An interagency statement to affirm VAWA’s housing protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking as well as other individuals, such as those who assist survivors. 
  • $19 million in new funds to support state and local coalitions, Tribal communities, and community-based programs in disrupting the cycle of domestic violence. 
  • Expanding technical assistance and federal funding opportunities for state and local law enforcement programs that remove firearms from domestic abusers convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence or subject to a protective order.

These and more were outlined in the full Fact Sheet released by the White House. 

Gender-Based Violence and Maternal Mental Health 

Policy solutions such as the Violence Against Women Act, and continued investment in gender-based violence have direct impacts on the health outcomes of pregnant and postpartum people. Research from the National Partnership for Women and Families shows key associations between gender-based violence and maternal health outcomes, including 

  • Women who are abused during pregnancy are more likely to receive no prenatal care or to delay care until later than recommended.
  • Women experiencing domestic violence during pregnancy are three times more likely to report symptoms of depression in the postnatal period than women who did not experience domestic violence while pregnant.
  • Maternal exposure to domestic violence is associated with a significantly increased risk of low birth weight and preterm birth.
  • Women who experience IPV during pregnancy are about three times more likely to suffer perinatal death than women who do not experience IPV.

National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233, https://www.thehotline.org/
For any victims and survivors who need support, the NDVH is there for you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-799-7233 for TTY, or if you’re unable to speak safely, you can log onto thehotline.org or text LOVEIS to 22522.