National Organization for Women

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NOW Applauds the House Passage of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization, Urges Action in the Senate

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives took vital action today to help victims of sexual assault, domestic and dating violence and stalking by voting to reauthorize the 2019 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA / H.R. 1585). NOW leaders in the states are working with their Senators to ensure that a companion bill is passed by the Senate as soon as possible. This is a critical next step in order to establish important improvements and secure stable funding for VAWA for the next five years.

The proposed reauthorization includes a provision to close a loophole in the original Act that allows convicted domestic abusers of dating partners to have access to firearms. Opposition to this from the National Rifle Association (NRA) is motivating certain members of Congress to OPPOSE or stall the bill. The NRA wants Congress to put the second amendment rights of abusers over the lives of the women and families who might die at their hands.

VAWA 2019 contains many important improvements that will benefit victims of violence around the country including:

  • Housing protections for survivors of sexual assault.
  • A new position at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to address domestic violence.
  • Enhancements to the criminal justice response to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
  • Programs that help survivors gain and maintain economic independence.

VAWA 2019 now moves to the Senate. NOW expects bipartisan support and a vote for passage and nothing less. Constituents in every state will be watching to see which senators are willing to prioritize the health and safety of millions of women, men and their families over the influence of the NRA.

Contact

NOW Press, press@now.org, 202-570-4745

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Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta Must Resign For Allowing Serial Child Molester Jeffrey Epstein To Escape Justice

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON — Jeffrey Epstein is a serial child molester who used his wealth, power and influence to escape serious penalties for his crimes. The charges brought against him could have resulted in Epstein spending the rest of his life in prison —but instead, he played “let’s make a deal” to subvert justice and escape punishment.  Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who as U.S. Attorney in Miami cut the deal with Epstein, must resign.

Jeffrey Epstein plays by the same rulebook as Donald Trump, Les Moonves, Harvey Weinstein, Eric Schneiderman and other powerful men who have been revealed as serial abusers of women. Epstein’s scant 13-month stay in a county jail—where he was even allowed to spend twelve hours a day, six days a week, at his office—was made possible by a culture of powerful men enabling each other, while dismissing, excusing or demeaning the women and children they brutalize with physical and sexual violence.  

But this toxic culture must end. We cannot allow our legal system to be hijacked by rich men and those who stand by idly while profiting from their abuses of power. Those in law enforcement, politics, and business who defend and protect these abusers are also complicit. They used their privilege to shred the law and make a mockery of justice.  But the #MeToo movement is shining a light on their conduct, and that light must not fade.

Alexander Acosta, like Donald Trump, sees legal protections against sexual assault not as indestructible safeguards, but as flexible and even optional suggestions. Every day he remains in office makes a mockery of our system of justice that should protect underage girls from monsters like Jeffrey Epstein.

#EnoughIsEnough.  Alexander Acosta must go.

Contact

NOW Press , press@now.org , 202-628-8669

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Champion Gender Equality: Social Decency with Action

The Palm Beach County Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOWPBC) was created in 1972 by female professors at Florida Atlantic University to fight for equal pay and tenure.

This was also the year that Congress passed Title IX (prohibiting sex-based discrimination in schools and providing women equal opportunities to participate in sports) and NOWPBC presented its first Susan B. Anthony Feminist of the Year Award to a 13-year-old athlete for her successful battle to play on an all-male Boca Raton sports team. Today, Susan Hamill is a law professor at the University of Alabama.

And yet, 45 years later, The Palm Beach Post reported in its front page article -“Gender equality? FAU gave feds false numbers, ranked near bottom” on May 18, that FAU submitted false data to the federal government. There are costly consequences. The Post revealed how most women receive no scholarship money, are discouraged from speaking out and find it necessary to work multiple jobs to cover increasing tuition and school fees while male athletes disproportionately received more scholarship dollars, thereby widening the gender gap.

It’s not the first time FAU tarnished its reputation by placing money above principle. In 2003, the university sponsored a naming rights competition for its new $70 million football stadium. It initially declared the for-profit private prison company, the GEO Group Inc., as the winner for its $6 million deal. Students and the community rose up in indignation, and GEO was dropped.

But now FAU has the opportunity to right this wrong and to be in compliance with the law of the land. This also presents a chance to make a statement for social justice. Indeed, now is the time for university leaders to do it.

ARLENE R. USTIN, DELRAY BEACH

Vice President of the National Organization for Women Palm Beach County.