[R-G] Bush Administration Weakens Office on Violence Against Women

[Usman Majeed]

>From www.feminist.org

Bush Administration Weakens Office on Violence Against Women

2/5/2003 - The Department of Justice announced that it would be keeping the
Office on Violence Against Women within the Office of Justice Programs,
despite a bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush that
requires a more independent and prominent position for the Violence Against
Women Office (VAWO). The VAWO Act was passed in October and signed by Bush
in November as part of the Department of Justice Reauthorization bill.

Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), author of the VAWO Act, expressed his outrage at
the Administration¹s decision to ignore Congress, saying in a release that
³I find it very ironic that the very agency charged with enforcing the laws
and protecting women is willfully ignoring the law and hindering efforts to
prevent violence against women.² The new law makes the VAWO an independent
office separate from any division of the Department of Justice, as well as
making the director of the office a presidential appointee who reports
directly to the Attorney General. President Bush has designated Diane
Stuart, current head of VAWO, to serve as Acting Director. During debate on
the bill, Stuart had advocated for keeping the VAWO within the Office of
Justice Programs. Lynn Rosenthal, speaking for the National Network to End
Domestic Abuse, disagreed, saying that when VAWO became an entity of the
Office of Justice Programs, it become ³more focused on the technical aspects
of grant making and less on the policy issues that emerge in building
programs that address victim safety and offender accountability,² according
to Women¹s Policy Inc.

³It is absolutely essential to give our fight against domestic violence the
high priority and visibility it deserves,² said Sen. Biden. ³The Violence
Against Women Office is instrumental in our efforts to prevent women and
children from being victimized and serves as a vital resource to those
harmed by domestic violence.² VAWO distributes more than $270 million a year
in grants to the states for programs addressing violence against women.


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"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the
oppressed." 
Steve Biko