Far from Home with Nowhere to Turn – The Violence Against Women Act is Vital

This week, the House of Representatives will vote on a bill (H.R. 4970) to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

But while the bipartisan Senate bill passed a few weeks ago protects Native American victims, immigrant victims, LGBT victims and victims from other marginalized communities, H.R. 4970 actually rolls back protections for victims of violence.

How can this happen? Shouldn’t a bill about domestic and sexual violence expand protections for all victims?

It can certainly happen when one of the top lobbyists on this issue is reported to have a major conflict of interest. Natasha Spivack is an official at an anti-domestic violence advocacy group called Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) … and is also the founder of a ‘mail-order bride’ company, Encounters International.

Guess who has been encouraging representatives to roll back protections for immigrant victims in order to curb ‘false accusations’ of domestic abuse?

VAWA’s provisions for abused immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens enable victims to escape violent marriages without fear of automatic deportation. Under the current system, allegations of abuse are rigorously reviewed and a VAWA application is only approved after a strenuous review process by specially-trained lawyers.

It turns out that Spivack has a personal bone to pick with VAWA’s immigration provision. In 2004, a federal jury awarded $430,500 to Ukrainian-born Nataliya Fox in a unanimous verdict. The Tahirih Justice Center brought the lawsuit against Spivack’s company “in response to Spivack’s pattern of repeatedly pairing abusers with foreign women whose English was limited, who did not know American laws and who lacked resources to get help.”

Fox was viciously abused by the husband to whom she had been introduced by Spivack. He beat her repeatedly, withheld food from her, held a gun to her head and used their infant child and threats of deportation as tools of control.

This is one woman’s horrifying story. With a weakened VAWA, there is no telling how many more victims will be left alone, far from home with nowhere to turn, as they face abuse, fear, violence, pain, and possible death.