October 25 ,2024
As Election Day nears, this can be a important time to take inventory of the place we’re as a rustic and to plot a post-election path that permits us to maneuver ahead regardless of who holds workplace. On condition that one in three individuals within the U.S. identifies as a survivor of violence, abuse or exploitation — and that information counsel that the true determine is properly over half of the inhabitants — our imaginative and prescient for the longer term should embrace a strong and intersectional technique to assist survivors and cut back violence.
Because the nation’s largest sufferer service group, working with 250,000 survivors every year, we perceive that security is a elementary human proper that permits us to dwell, work and pursue happiness. People should really feel secure of their communities, properties, our bodies and minds to thrive and attain their full potential.
We additionally know first-hand that violence thrives on the intersection of oppressions and, due to this fact, requires a complete response. We all know that efficient gun security laws should acknowledge and handle the hyperlink between home violence and gun violence. Immigration, migration and asylum insurance policies will escalate violence and injustice in the event that they ignore important protections for survivors. Criminalizing homelessness whereas failing to handle its root causes, which embrace violence, will shift focus from options guilty. Bodily autonomy — an absolute requirement for a society freed from violence — will stay below menace if coverage round reproductive rights and trans healthcare disregard survivors’ wants and experiences.
It’s essential that we create native, state and federal insurance policies which are compassionate, inclusive and centered on lived experiences. Each legislative and funds determination made by lawmakers impacts the lives of survivors.
Right here’s what’s at stake for survivors this election:
Gun violence prevention
Downside: The present political local weather surrounding firearms is divisive, however one reality is obvious: victims and survivors face better dangers with out secure gun laws. Insurance policies that broaden entry to harmful firearms have severe implications for mass violence and group security, and particularly for survivors of home violence. Analysis reveals that the presence of a gun within the dwelling will increase the chance of damage or demise by 5 occasions for these dealing with intimate companion violence.
Answer: The urgency for federal motion on group gun violence, notably concerning susceptible people, can’t be overstated. The Supreme Courtroom case of United States v. Rahimi underscores the important want for nationwide laws to guard lives. Policymakers should implement complete reforms that prioritize security, implement stricter laws on firearms entry and guarantee protecting measures for these in danger, particularly survivors.
Security for individuals fleeing violence and abuse
Downside: The phrases inscribed on the Statue of Liberty —”Give me your drained, your poor, your huddled plenty craving to breathe free” — embody the promise of a secure harbor; a promise that we’re failing to satisfy for too many who come to the U.S., particularly those that are fleeing violence.
Answer: Essential authorized treatments and federal packages, corresponding to U and T-visas for survivors of violence and trafficking, are below menace. Wrap-around companies for brand new arrivals, together with entry to shelter, are very important in stopping additional violence and exploitation. And we urgently have to shift the narrative away from demonizing and dehumanizing immigrants. Dropping these protections endangers numerous people who’ve suffered violence, abuse and exploitation and are merely looking for a safer, higher future. Policymakers should acknowledge the human expertise within the immigration insurance policies they suggest.
Entry to secure shelter
Downside: Housing is a human proper, and housing insecurity is the results of a collective coverage failure. After we criminalize homelessness, we additional traumatize and hurt these already susceptible. Youth homelessness, notably amongst these aged 18 to 24, is an pressing problem that usually goes ignored and underserved. This demographic faces distinctive challenges that require tailor-made options.
Answer: We should implement efficient insurance policies that prioritize reasonably priced and supportive housing, homelessness prevention and complete assist companies to assist younger individuals transition into secure dwelling conditions. Policymakers should implement compassionate, long-term options that handle the underlying problems with housing insecurity, quite than enact punitive measures.
Bodily autonomy
Downside: The erosion of bodily autonomy contributes to a tradition of violence by disrespecting essentially the most primary of human rights. Bodily autonomy is essential for survivors, particularly concerning reproductive rights and abortion entry. Survivors of intimate companion violence often expertise sexual violence in addition to bodily abuse, and abusers typically search to regulate survivors’ entry to reproductive and gender-affirming well being care. Moreover, being pregnant and parenting can escalate violence and complicate the choice to depart an abusive relationship. These realities spotlight the necessity for reproductive independence as an important aspect of private security. By making abortion unlawful, even in instances of incest and rape, policymakers additional endanger survivors, together with minors. The violation of bodily autonomy additionally impacts the LGBTQIA+ group, notably for trans people dealing with boundaries to healthcare and self-determination.
Answer: Policymakers should hearken to survivors and finish the assaults on ladies’s and transgender people’ bodily autonomy and reproductive rights. Insurance policies that strip individuals of their reproductive healthcare rights are lethal and perpetuate a tradition of violence.
Those that have survived violence have a lot to show us about each its root causes and the options. When the mud settles after the elections, we invite elected officers to affix us in listening to survivors and partnering with them to search out actual options to finish violence. Collectively, we will construct a future the place security and freedom from violence are accessible to everybody.
