Biden marks 30th anniversary of passage of landmark Violence Against Women Act

WASHINGTON (AP) — As part of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, the White House on Thursday is set to announce new efforts to address online harassment and abuse, and to help ease housing issues that many survivors of domestic violence face when they are trying to escape abusers.

President Joe Biden wrote and championed the bill as a U.S. senator. It was the first comprehensive federal law that focused on addressing violence against women and sought to provide support for survivors and justice. It sought to shift the national narrative around domestic violence at the time; that it was a private matter best left alone.

The White House said that between 1993 and 2022, domestic violence rates dropped by 67% and the rate of rapes and sexual assaults declined by 56%, according to FBI statistics.

During a hearing on domestic violence in 1990, Biden told the committee that “for too long, we have ignored the right of women to be free from the fear of attack based on their gender. For too long, we have kept silent about the obvious.”

Biden spent years advocating for the law, moved by horrible stories of domestic violence. In 1994 it was passed with bipartisan support.

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