Time for Senate to reauthorize Violence Against Women Act

Turkish forces have launched their attack on our allies, the Kurds, in Syria, following the U.S. announcement that we are withdrawing our forces and essentially leaving the Kurds on their own.

Our Kurdish allies have stood with us for years in fighting ISIS, only to be abandoned by a whimsical, thoughtless presidential decision.

This was a decision taken without any consultation with State Department or military leadership, in a phone call with President Erdogan of Turkey.

It was just a spur-of-the-moment, snap judgment in a call with one of the authoritarian leaders that President Trump so admires, and largely fawns over. As a consequence, any prospective ally in the world has taken heed — the Americans cannot be trusted in partnership! Building future coalitions is impaired to the point of approaching impossibility.

Is Trump’s behavior a surprise? It should not be. He has never shown loyalty to anyone, and he has long treated his business relationships in this same way. His decisions are nearly always spur-of-the-moment, without reflection, and uninformed.

Six months ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the historic bipartisan Violence Against Women (VAWA) Reauthorization Act. Since then, the U.S. Senate has stalled on moving this crucial legislation forward, which is unacceptable. Colorado families and survivors deserve more than inaction by leadership when it comes to protecting their right to live in safe communities.

It has been 25 years since the first passage of VAWA. Historically, VAWA has been reauthorized with strong bipartisan support and strengthened protections for survivors. Reauthorizing VAWA is one action that supports survivors’ voices and provides a pathway to justice and healing.

This legislation provides law enforcement with new tools to protect their communities; offers protections for survivors in federal public, subsidized and assisted housing; supports victims and survivors who need assistance rebuilding financially; addresses the needs of underserved communities; and improves the health care responses.

As we reflect over the past 25 years and all that communities and advocates have learned about the best ways to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, we demand the U.S. Senate work together to keep the work of the House of Representatives intact and pass a resolute VAWA for all. Send letters of 250 words or fewer to openforum@denverpost.com or 5990 Washington St., Denver, CO, 80216. Please include full name, city and phone number. Contact information is for our purposes only; we will not share it with anyone else. You can reach us by telephone at 303-954-1201.