The Violence Against Women Act is 15

At the end of last month, women’s advocate groups celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against Women act, which funded prevention programs and police officer training, and created the Office of Violence Against Women at the Department of Justice. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, rates of gender-based violence have fallen over 50% since 1993, the year before the law was enacted.
Still, rates of violence against women in America are way too high. In 2008, 4.3 women out of every 1,000 (over the age of 12) were victims of intimate partner violence. Experts worry that the recession and its associated job loss and increased financial strain will put more women in the path of violent partners. Fortunately, thanks to the Violence Against Women Act, lots of money and effort are being spent to prevent a spike and stand on behalf of those who become victims. To learn more about the VAWA and stats on violence against women see the Office of Violence Against Women and the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Domestic Violence as a Pre-Existing Condition

As the national spotlight shines on health care reform legislation it is worth turning our attention to laws affecting domestic violence and insurance coverage. In 2008 the National Women's Law Center reported that in nine states: Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia, it is legal for insurance companies to deny coverage to women who have been victims of domestic violence. In April 2009 Arkansas outlawed the practice, leaving eight states and D.C.

Ryan Grim at the Huffington Post writes "Under the cold logic of the insurance industry, it makes perfect sense: If you are in a marriage with someone who has beaten you in the past, you're more likely to get beaten again than the average person and are therefore more expensive to insure" (read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/14/when-getting-beaten-by-yo_n_286029.html)

Under health care reform legislation currently being negotiated in the Senate, denial of coverage based on any pre-existing condition may be outlawed. Until such a measure passes or goes into affect please contact your representatives in Congress and let them know this unconscionable discrimination against victims of violence must end:


Write your Senators

Write your Congressman

Honorata Kizende

Honorata Kizende is one of thousands of survivors of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Though the civil war in the Central African nation has technically ended, per the signing of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement in 1999, armed conflict still persists and sexual violence is rampant.

Honorata was kidnapped by militiamen in 2002 and forced into sexual slavery. More than once, she was publicly gang raped. After enduring unspeakable violence and humiliation, Honorata escaped her captors and walked 150 miles to safety. She was reunited with her family in a village called Bukavu, believing the worst had passed. It had not. Honorata was again found by marauding soldiers, raped, and beaten.

Ostracized in her community as "bad luck," Honorata grew tired of staying silent. She found Women for Women International, which provides support and vocational training to women in war torn regions. She became a spokesperson for the group and began telling her story.

War-related rape occurs at an estimated rate of 40 times per day in the DRC. Survivors are often shamed and cast out by their husbands, families, and communities. These war crimes mostly go unpunished despite the UN presence in the region.

To learn more about Honorata's story go to: http://www.womenforwomen.org/global-initiatives-helping-women/stories-women-congo.php#Honorata

To learn more about sexual violence in the DRC go to: http://newsite.vday.org/drcongo/

Tiffany Gates

On Friday November 21, 33 year-old Tiffany Gates was stabbed to death in Southeast Washington D.C. by a former boyfriend who had been stalking her for at least a year. Gates had sought protection from Roderick Ridley, whom she had begun dating in the summer of 2007. After a series of disputes, Ridley threatened to kill Gates and proceeded to set a couch on fire in the apartment they once shared. Ridley was arrested and Gates took out a temporary protection order. She did not make it permanent however, because Ridley was incarcerated, but he escaped from a halfway house in October. According to the Washington Post, she was so afraid for her life that she had already made funeral arrangements.


Tiffany Gates was buried on November 29th.

Read the story http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/24/AR2008112402763.html

Welcome to A Billion Lights

A Billion Lights is a chronicle of violence against women. Every hour, every day, a woman is beaten, raped, stalked, threatened or killed. At least one in three women - over one billion - worldwide experience some form of violence during their lifetime. This is where they tell their stories.