Friday, March 1, 2013

VAWA Success... Finally

Amidst the pressing political news about the sequester, I'm hoping this piece of good news doesn't get completely lost:

House passes Violence Against Women Act after GOP version defeated

For Native women, this means more defense against crimes that are going too often unreported or unprosecuted.

The National Congress of American Indians summed up the protections pretty well:

The constitutionally sound tribal jurisdiction provisions in VAWA authorize tribal governments to prosecute non-Indian defendants involved in intimate relationships with Native women and who assault these victims on tribal land. Current federal laws do not authorize tribal law enforcement or tribal courts to pursue any form of prosecution or justice against these perpetrators.


It still astounds me this act was opposed for so long, but today at least is a day the majority of our leaders decided women deserved justice and protection.