WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The Violence Against Women Act, first signed into law in 1994, has generally been a non-contentious issue, with members of all political parties supporting it’s aim of funding the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes including rape, and allowing civil redress if women in cases when the criminal courts prosecution efforts fell short. The bill established an office on violence against women under the US department of justice, tasked with strengthening services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. With the 112th’s congress failure to re-authorize VAWA last week, funding from the Office on Violence Against Women is in question, and recipients of the federal support, such as Bloomington’s Middleway House, may be in jeopardy. In today’s Daily Local News Feature Exclusive, WFHB News Director Alycin Bektesh speaks with Middle Way Executive director Toby Strout about potential ramifications of congress’s failure to act. We also hear from area congressmen Todd Young, with his predictions regarding the likelihood that the 113th congress will reauthorize the act.
