Mujeres Latinas en Acción and Casa de Esperanza release report on VAWA

             Chicago, IL – U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL) today joined Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL), civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, and other Latina leaders at a press conference in Chicago to highlight the importance of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  The event was hosted by Mujeres Latinas en Acción and Casa de Esperanza.

             “Domestic violence can happen to anyone, anywhere and our laws should reflect that,” said Biggert, a key co-sponsor of the last VAWA reauthorization in 2005.  “We cannot allow VAWA to fall victim to partisan gridlock.  That’s why I’ve been urging House and Senate leaders to resolve their differences and send the President a strong bill that protects immigrant victims who report these terrible crimes.”  

             VAWA, which expired in 2011, remains a subject of debate on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are divided over the House and Senate versions of legislation to reauthorize the law.  With support from leading women’s rights groups, Biggert broke with her party to oppose the House version, which failed to include protections for college students, LGBT individuals, Native Americans and immigrants.  Instead, she has encouraged House leaders to accept Senate-endorsed provisions that enjoy bipartisan support, including from groups like Mujeres Latinas en Acción.

             As part of their annual leadership conference, Mujeres Latinas en Acción joined with Casa de Esperanza to publish a new report on the importance of VAWA to the Latino community.  According to their findings, one in four Latinas will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.

             “We call on Congress to demonstrate our nation’s commitment to ending domestic violence and sexual assault by passing a final, bipartisan VAWA bill that ensures protections for all victims, and that does not erode the critical protections for immigrant victims that Congress has always supported in the past,” said Rosie Hidalgo, Director of Public Policy for Casa de Esperanza.

             The report also included several recommendations for the reauthorization of VAWA, including language-specific services, legal services for immigrant survivors, and added confidentiality for immigrant victims to ensure that abusers cannot use the threat of deportation to intimidate victims.

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   To watch a video of the press conference, click here.