Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt. Photo by Alexandre Silberman/VTDigger
BURLINGTON — With the Violence Against Women Act up for reauthorization this session, Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, held a roundtable Friday with advocates against domestic and sexual violence in Vermont for input on the legislation.
“We’re in a tough place in Washington now. We’ve got a president who says horrible things about women,” Welch said. “There’s really got to be an ongoing appreciation and awareness that violence against women is real and that it can’t be tolerated. And VAWA is important … and it’s not just an abstract thing.”
The legislation, passed in 1994, funds the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, imposes mandatory restitution on those convicted and allows for civil redress in cases not prosecuted.
Diane Derby, a field representative for Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, said for now, the state is in no threat of losing VAWA funding — with a full year of grants in line for the 2019 funding cycle.
“But we have to beware of people saying ‘oh we’ve got to pass reauthorization’ and doing so, and then quietly stripping out provisions that are really important. That’s what we’re pushing back against,” Derby said. “If you hear of some rush to get this done, it’s more important to get it done right.”
Fifteen leaders of Vermont efforts to end violence against women met with Welch Friday to voice their concerns about policies and discuss funding that the state could use.
A major concern was around creating a federal law that would make sexual assault treatment free, no questions asked. Right now, that treatment is free under Vermont law, but with some stipulations. For example, patients with insurance have to file a claim through their insurance, which can make college students skittish because their parents will see the paperwork, according to Margo Batsie, director of program services at Steps to End Domestic Violence. She said problems arise because the law also applies only to assaults that happen in Vermont.
In a recent case, Raenetta Liberty, a nurse with the Vermont Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program, said a patient was assaulted in Quebec, and came to the University of Vermont Medical Center for treatment, where the victim had a $1,500 copay for HIV prophylaxis medication. The hospital ultimately ended up covering the cost, but that only happened, she said, after a series of phone calls and bureaucracy that the patient shouldn’t have had to deal with after being assaulted.
Another key concern was around transitional housing. Batsie said current housing programs require people to be homeless to be eligible — because of housing scarcity. However, she said that hurdle makes it harder for women facing domestic violence to get into safe living situations.
Batsie told Welch that lifting the Department of Housing and Urban Development policies that require homelessness would give organizations more flexibility in finding transitional housing for these women and avoid the need for them to become temporarily homeless to qualify.
The activists said funding for transitional housing is increasing, but not keeping up with the need. Many of the women pointed to 18 to 24-year-olds as an especially risky group, because that’s when young people age out of foster care, and can often find themselves in unstable living situations.
Cynthia Fryman of Hope Works Vermont said these unstable living environments can quickly turn into sex trafficking situations, as girls are forced to use sex to get food, a ride, or a place to stay. She said there’s also a strong overlap between trafficking and the opioid crisis, with addicts trading sex for drugs. Several activists suggested that sex trafficking needs to be addressed with the same vigor as the opioid crisis.
Welch empathized with the speakers and promised to fight for funding.
“I just so moved by what everyone here is doing,” Welch said. “My job is pretty simple, and Patrick Leahy’s, and Bernie’s (Sanders), just getting these resources and these policies back here so you all can do your jobs. That’s the hard part.”
Read the story on VTDigger here: Welch hears advocates’ concerns about violence against women.