Last week, President Biden signed into law the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022, expanding its protections for particularly vulnerable groups of people including Native American women.
The bill will reauthorize the law's programs through 2027, including provisions like "expanded access to forensic exams for victims of sexual assault in rural communities" and "new jurisdiction to tribal courts to go after non-Native perpetrators of sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, sex trafficking and assaults on tribal law enforcement officers on tribal lands."
“This is a major advancement for protecting women from domestic violence and sexual assault ― a tragedy faced by one in three women in this country,” said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), one of the bill’s sponsors. “Passing this legislation to prevent domestic violence and support survivors is long overdue.”
“Every Native person should feel safe in their own homes and communities,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), also a bill sponsor and the senator who led the effort to strengthen VAWA’s tribal provisions. “Jurisdictional issues should not deny safety or justice. Tribes are valuable partners with the State and Federal governments and can help turn the tide against violence in Native communities.”
