Angelina Jolie Appears On Capitol Hill To Urge Senate To Pass Violence Against Women Act
deadline.comAngelina Jolie urged the Senate to renew the Violence Against Women Act, making a plea for lawmakers to reauthorize the law she said was essential to offer basic protections to survivors of abuse.Speaking at a press appearance at the Capitol along with a group of senators, Jolie also called out Congress for letting the law lapse.The law was first passed in 1994, and included provisions for federal level prosecution of interstate domestic violence and sexual assault crimes, as well as support for shelters, rape crisis centers and community organizations.
It was last reauthorized in 2013 but expired in 2019, and has since languished.“The reason that many people struggle to leave abusive situations is that they’ve been made to feel worthless,” Jolie said. “When there is silence from a Congress too busy to renew the Violence Against Women Act for a decade, it reinforces that sense of worthlessness.
You think, ‘I guess my abuser is right. I guess I’m not worth very much.'”She said that passing the law “is one of the most important votes senators will cast this year.”Sen.
Dick Durbin (D-IL), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that Wednesday that a bipartisan agreement had been reached on renewing the law. (read the text here) That came after a provision was dropped that would have restricted unmarried partners from having guns if they were found guilty of domestic violence, per CNN.Jolie had a series of visits to D.C.
Read more on deadline.com