Today marks 30 years since the landmark Violence Against Women Act, which was signed into law just months after one of the most horrific double murders of our time. The murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman sparked a series of revelations about the domestic violence suffered by Brown Simpson. The law was championed by Sen. Joe Biden, who first introduced it in the fall of 1990. For the first time, the law designated sexual assault and domestic violence as crimes. Thirty years later, President Biden calls it the proudest legislative achievement of his long career. Now with me is Jen Climate Director. The President is the director of the White House Gender Policy Council. It’s great to have you here. Let’s talk about the importance of this law 30 years later and what the numbers and the data show when you look at how it’s done, what the numbers and the data show in terms of reducing rates of domestic violence.
Let’s start with the numbers between 1993 and 2022, which is the most recent year that we have data on, according to the Department of Justice. The rate of reported domestic violence has dropped by 67 percent and the rates of rape and sexual assault have dropped by 56 percent and those numbers reflect the change that this law has brought about. As you said it was passed in 1994. President Biden was working on this as a young senator from 1990 to the year it was signed into law by President Clinton and what he set out to do.
I think what they’ve accomplished in these numbers shows how the world has changed, not only to pass a law and change laws and policies but to change the actual culture or the way we approach domestic violence and other sexual assault in this country and if we look at what’s been accomplished since the law was passed, as you said thirty years ago to today and how it’s been reauthorized four times. Each time it’s been strengthened I think it shows that the sea change that President Biden envisioned has happened in this country the president has still made a clear agenda he believes we have to work to prevent and suppress domestic violence about violence, some of these new measures that have just been announced.
As you just said and he spoke very strongly yesterday if anyone is experiencing any kind of domestic violence or other forms of sexual assault. A lot more certainly you know I’ll note that as well. Yesterday he was surrounded by victims and advocates who have worked with him for thirty years. Because he not only passed the law but also strengthened it. The work of those victims who are working to mark this day often. An important thing that we reflect on. But there’s still more to do you know this administration has done several different things to reduce sexual assault in the military on college campuses. Which is sadly the latest form of domestic gender-based violence. Just yesterday as you mentioned we announced a couple of other important things. The first is a six hundred ninety million dollar grant from the Department of Justice to implement this law.
This is the highest spending ever for the Violence Against Women Act. We also announced a series of measures to address online harassment and abuse including voluntary commitments from companies that are committed to combating technology-facilitated gender-based violence and image-based
abuse particularly which we all know is tragically rampant on the internet. There are really real consequences of personal violence in people’s personal lives. Their ability to participate fully in society, another great example of which is what we announced yesterday. That is expanded safety guidance from five federal agencies to help people who are trying to escape housing violence. Gender-based violence is one of the leading forms, and the leading cause of homelessness among children.