Violence Against Women Act Is a Totalitarian Violation of Democracy

"What about the type of bullying and abuse called gangstalking? How can victims of this get help?"

Move.

If you can't do that, acquire a firearm and learn how to use it. Be smart. Don't be alone in questionable places. Plan ahead. Take self-defense courses. Protect your privacy. It's not like anyone has a constitutional right to police protection anyway.

Tassia of WV 1:32AM March 20, 2012

Supposedly VAWA has saved money... I wonder, have they done research on the millions spent on women who decided to go back to their abuser? I remember how many abusive men in my batterers intervention classes were driven there by the very women who had filed charges against them.

Ask any domestic violence worker: the number of times a woman will "leave" before she actually leaves for good is seven. Seven. And that's with all the resources available today: free victim's advocates, free protective orders without having to provide proof of any abuse, automatic possession of living space, free women's shelters, easy access to firearms, self-defense classes, etc.

And still women are being killed by their lovers. It seems to me that the women who are not and never have been in danger of severe bodily harm or death are using the court system and law enforcement to manipulate their relationships. Sure, a lot of those men in my classes were class A jerks. But dangerous? No. Those ones were in jail. They were screened out of taking those court-mandated classes in the first place.

Tassia of WV 12:43AM March 20, 2012

The Violence Against Women Act does none of the things described by the author. It is important to get the facts straight. Research shows that the Violence Against Women Act saved $14 billion in the first ten years in averted criminal investigations, lost productivity at work, and medical costs related to violence. Another research article funded by the National Institute of Justice found that well-trained courts saved the state of Kentucky $85 million in one year in related social and justice system costs by issuing effective protection orders. VAWA does not require mandatory arrest; current law funds training for law enforcement to arrest ONLY where a full investigation shows probable cause. And the CDC recently released a ten-year study that showed that 1 in 4 women were the victim have been the victim of severe physical violence and 1 in 7 men have been the victim of severe physical violence. Because men are victims, too, the language of VAWA makes it absolutely clear that grantees CANNOT deny services to men. For fifteen years, VAWA has helped communities come together to develop a coordinated plan for dealing with domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. As a result, the intimate partner homicide rate has dropped significantly. And VAWA, which has been funded at approximately $410 million for the past three years, is leveraged by the states, who contribute matching funds for many of the grant dollars that they receive. Law enforcement, prosecution, and the courts agree that VAWA has made an enormous difference in how domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking are handled in the justice system and in communities.

Rob Valente of MD 7:04PM March 19, 2012