RADAR ALERT:
What if my Congressman is a Die-Hard VAWA Supporter?
The goal of the Truth and Consequences campaign is to meet with every
Congressman to discuss VAWA abuse. One question that is often asked is,
"What should I do if my congressman (or senator) is known to be a strong
supporter of VAWA?"
Basically you've got two options:
-
Work with the incumbent, or
-
Support the challenger.
Work with the Incumbent
If you choose to work with the VAWA supporter, you need to adjust your
goals
and expectations. Any progress you make will be incremental. When you
meet with the staff person, highlight the good work that VAWA has done
in serving DV victims. From
here you have two possible strategies:
-
Walk through the unintended consequences of VAWA. Show how
overly-broad definitions of DV and mandatory arrest laws often lead to
false accusations. The goal with this strategy is bring the system back
into balance so the true victims of domestic violence can be helped.
-
Key in on the male victims of domestic violence. Emphasize how VAWA
does not treat men equally and male victims are often turned away. The
goal here is to make the language of all VAWA appropriations bills and
policy documents male-inclusive.
Support the Challenger
If you choose to work with the challenger, set up a meeting and explain
his or her opponent's position. State your objections to VAWA and
explain what you are asking for: Congressional hearings on the massive
civil rights abuses of VAWA.
As long as they agree with you, support them. Challengers are desperate
for help. Here you will want to help as much as you can on their
campaign. Putting up signs and knocking on doors are very helpful.
If the challenger wins, he will be grateful to you. Then set up a
follow-up meeting as soon as he is in office. If he loses, stay in
contact because he may run for another office. Play for the long term.
It's Your Call
You make the call: Work with the VAWA supporter and key on short-term,
incremental change, or help the challenger and look for long-term
change.
Date of RADAR Release: August 15, 2006
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Register now for the National Family Law Reform Conference, to be held September 15-16 in Alexandria, Virginia (near Washington, DC). The conference will address the crisis of family law, including biased family courts, false allegations of domestic violence, child abuse, and much more. For more information: http://www.acfc.org/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=100021
R.A.D.A.R. – Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting – is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of men and women working to improve the effectiveness of our nation's approach to solving domestic violence. http://www.mediaradar.org
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