Domestic violence programs lack effectiveness and
may harm women, report concludes
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
Domestic violence laws such as the Violence Against
Women Act (VAWA) are not reducing abuse rates and
may be placing women at greater risk of violence,
according to a report released today.
“Has VAWA Delivered on its Promises to Women?"
reveals that partner homicides had already dropped
29% by 1994, the year that VAWA was enacted into
law. After 2000, declines began to bottom out,
according to Department of Justice statistics.
Some VAWA-driven policies, such as mandatory arrest
for restraining order violations, are seen as
placing certain groups of women at greater risk of
subsequent violence.
"Get-tough domestic violence laws aren't working the
way persons had hoped," notes RADAR spokesperson
Lisa Scott. "In some areas, arrests of females have
skyrocketed and 15% of restraining orders are taken
out against women."
The report highlights the case of Kimberly Piscopo
of New Jersey, who was barred from the marital home
on the grounds that she was spitting and using foul
language.
Women who do not cooperate with prosecutors may be
charged with contempt. In one California case, the
county prosecutor put a woman in jail for 8 days
after she refused to testify. She later won a
$125,000 settlement for false imprisonment.
The report reveals that many VAWA-funded programs do
not offer services for abusive women, sometimes with
tragic consequences.
Arguing that VAWA-funded programs are
overly-intrusive, a 2003 report from the Ms.
Foundation for Women notes, "Unfortunately, when
state power has been invited into, or forced into,
the lives of individuals, it often takes over."
That intrusion escalates partner conflict and
reconciliation becomes almost impossible. The result
is what has been called "state-imposed de facto
divorce."
A growing number of women's groups are critical of
heavy-handed VAWA programs that often ignore civil
liberties and don't curb abuse.
R.A.D.A.R. - Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse
Reporting - is a non- profit, non-partisan
organization of men and women working to assure that
the problem of domestic violence is treated in a
balanced and effective manner.
http://www.mediaradar.org.