Unintended Consequences

The Violence Against Women Act, signed into law by President Clinton in 1994, has saved the lives of thousands, and radically changed the way Americans think about sexual and domestic violence. But recent evidence suggests that VAWA has protected certain populations of Americans far better than others. Many of the changes VAWA brought about, such as the improved criminal justice response to sexual and domestic violence--and mandatory arrest laws in particular--have been felt very differently in communities which already have disproportionately high percentages of male members behind bars, or communities where arrest can mean deportation. Two decades after its enactment, it has become clear that VAWA does not adequately protect women of color, and that it may even have had the accidental effect of further marginalizing communities of color, particularly those with high percentages of recent immigrants.

Please join us for a discussion of the Asian American community’s experience of the Violence Against Women Act. Drawing on that experience, and looking ahead to its next re-authorization in 2018, how might VAWA be improved so that it better meets the needs of Asian Americans and other marginalized communities? What can we learn from the LGBTQ movement's efforts to ensure that the particular needs of its community were met in the most recent version of VAWA? 

Follow the conversation online using #VAWAforAll and following @NewAmerica.

Participants:

Aparna Bhattacharyya
Executive Director, Raksha, Inc.
@aparnabhattacha 

Manjusha Kulkarni
Executive Director, South Asian Network
@SANSoCal

Shilpa Phadke
Senior Director of Women's Initiative, Center for American Progress
@CAPWomen

Sharon Stapel
Executive Director, The New York City Anti-Violence Project
@sharonstapel

Moderator: 

Tiloma Jayasinghe
Former Executive Director, Sakhi
@tilomama