Sean Patrick Maloney: “ending violence against women should be a concern not just for the victims; it should be a national priority. In 1994…”

“ending violence against women should be a concern not just for the victims; it should be a national priority. In 1994, Congress moved violence against women from behind closed doors into national policy. The Violence Against Women Act was reauthorized in 2000, and it must be reauthorized and fully funded this year. The Violence Again Women Act is a comprehensive program that strengthened legal sanctions against stalkers, batterers, and rapists. It established a toll-free national domestic hotline. It funded battered women's shelters, and it provided funding for programs to improve both prosecution and victim services. Last year, Congress strengthened VAWA by passing the Justice For All Act, which included my legislation with the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Green). Our legislation gave law enforcement tools to process the backlog of rape kits containing DNA evidence that could convict rapists. But there is still much, much more that remains to be done. We must pass the reauthorization and fully fund it this year. ____________________”