For Immediate Release: March 16, 2022
WASHINGTON, DC: Today, the leaders of the United State of Women, End Rape On Campus and It’s On Us, three initiatives of Civic Nation leading the fight for gender equity, will go to the White House as President Biden signs the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. They released the following statements:
Jordan Brooks, Executive Director, United State of Women
“The women’s community celebrates President Biden signing the Violence Against Women Act into law, marking the first time in nearly a decade that this critical piece of legislation has been updated to meet the needs of survivors of gender-based violence. This moment could not come at a more important time as we’ve seen an increase in this type of violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, survivors were reminded that they are not alone and that our leaders stand with us in the mission to ending violence against women and girls everywhere.”
Kenyora Parham, End Rape On Campus
“End Rape On Campus (EROC) is pleased to see that VAWA has grown to fit a more expansive understanding of what justice and support for historically excluded survivors can look like. EROC prioritizes the needs of student survivors who have been historically marginalized, including students from tribal communities, survivors with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ identified survivors. This iteration of VAWA responds to the emerging needs of these communities by expanding opportunities for population-specific, trauma-informed training for service providers on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking. As we center the needs of historically marginalized survivors, we also need to see more trauma-informed training within all levels of law enforcement to ensure the response to student survivors’ needs are met through a non-carceral approach.”
Tracey Vitchers, It’s On Us
“At It’s On Us we are experiencing a skyrocketing demand for our dating and sexual violence prevention education programs, driven by increased rates of intimate partner violence throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and a spike in reported sexual assaults since campus reopenings this past fall semester. We are pleased to see the reauthorized Violence Against Women Act include increased funding for prevention education efforts, including more than doubling the funding available through the CDC for the Rape Prevention and Education program — from $50 million to $110 million — and increased funding for VAWA Consolidated Youth grants, which fund prevention education programs that engage men and boys as allies and promote healthy relationships. As we continue to meet this increasing demand for prevention, we need additional funds to evaluate prevention education efforts in K-12 and campus environments as rigorous, ongoing evaluation is a necessary component of the work to end sexual violence.”
ABOUT The United State of Women:
USOW aims to create a world in which all women and marginalized genders can thrive. Through education, community, and action, USOW amplifies issues at the intersection of gender and racial justice and galvanizes organizations, public figures, and everyday feminists of all genders to drive policy and culture change.
ABOUT End Rape On Campus:
End Rape On Campus (EROC) works to end campus sexual violence through direct support for survivors and their communities; prevention through education; and policy reform at the campus, local, state, and federal levels. EROC envisions a world where each individual has an educational experience free from violence, and until then, that all survivors are believed, trusted, and supported.
EROC was in 2013 by several students after they connected and shared their harrowing experiences of sexual assault and recognized that there was a gap in students understanding their rights under Title IX and the lack of accountability held by colleges and universities. By strategically coming together to show that campus sexual assault is a nationwide epidemic, EROC began its national advocacy work by assisting students with filing federal complaints against universities and exposing the barriers that prevented students from navigating through a fair and equitable process. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the heightened awareness of the racial reckoning, EROC, under its Centering the Margins (CTM) framework, shifted its priorities to fill the disparity of resources between different communities with the intention to center and uplift historically excluded and marginalized students when addressing campus sexual assault. End Rape On Campus is housed at Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses organizing, engagement, and public awareness to address some of our nation’s most pressing challenges.
ABOUT It’s On Us:
It’s On Us was founded in September 2014 as an initiative of the Obama-Biden White House. The program launched following recommendations from the White House Task Force to Prevent Sexual Assault that noted the importance of calling everyone into the conversation on sexual assault prevention. Over the last six years, It’s On Us has grown into the nation’s largest nonprofit program dedicated to college sexual assault prevention and survivor support activating students on hundreds of campuses in our awareness and education programs. It’s On Us is housed at Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses organizing, engagement and public awareness to address some of our nation’s most pressing challenges.
ABOUT Civic Nation:
Civic Nation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit home for changemakers who inspire, educate, and activate people around the issues that will define this generation. Civic Nation empowers and educates individuals, companies, institutions and organizations to drive culture, systems, and policy change, working towards a more inclusive and equitable America. Six initiatives are a part of the Civic Nation family: When We All Vote, United State of Women, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, End Rape On Campus, It’s On Us and Made to Save. Learn more here.