The Violence Against Women Act, well-intentioned as it may be, has created a network of federally-funded anti-male advocacy groups around the country, and failed in its primary purpose. Cathy Young suggests it has room for improvement:
Here are two modest proposals for reauthorizing the measure. First, give the legislation a gender-neutral title such as “The Family Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Act.” Second, abolish the special role of feminist-dominated domestic violence coalitions in shaping federally funded domestic violence programs. The bill should direct each state to create a domestic violence board on which no more than a quarter or a third of the seats can be filled by members of battered women’s advocacy groups. The rest should be filled by scholars, mental health professionals, and community activists. Over the past decades, our understanding of domestic violence has expanded beyond feminist orthodoxy to a more complex view. Our federal policies should reflect this ideological diversity.
VAWA has the effect of sweeping child abuse under the rug, and that also needs to be fixed. But I don’t expect Congress to act responsibly in the re-authorization process currently underway, it’s too much apple pie and motherhood for a good review.