The White House has announced the first U.S. National Plan, which serves as a critical roadmap guiding future efforts of the federal government in addressing and preventing gender-based violence.
The plan has been developed based on the leadership of survivors, advocates, researchers, and policymakers who have been at the forefront of efforts to prevent and respond to violence, taking into account the lessons learned and progress made.
The White House has announced the first national plan aimed at ending gender-based violence, following years of federal legislation.
According to the report, gender-based violence is defined as “any harmful threat or act directed at an individual or group based on actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity, sex characteristics, or sexual orientation.” It includes forms of sexual violence such as rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment, as well as certain forms of domestic violence, persistent stalking, and some forms of human trafficking, exploitation, and gender-based hate crimes.
At the end of May, the White House tweeted, “The Biden-Harris Administration is proud to announce the launch of the first-ever U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, a critical roadmap to guide the Federal government’s future efforts to address and prevent genden based violence. Freedom from domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of gender-based violence is a basic human right.”
The report was created by the White House Gender Policy Council, established by President Biden in March 2021 to focus on gender equality and justice in both domestic and foreign policy. The Council had previously developed a national strategy on gender equality and justice in October 2021.
The report highlights efforts to address gender-based violence since the 1970s, as well as federal legislation such as the Violence Against Women Act, which requires law enforcement to comply with protection orders issued anywhere in the country and recognizes interstate dom estic violence as a federal crime.
As part of the federal strategy against gender-based violence, the report outlines seven key areas: 1) Prevention; 2) Support, healing, safety and well-being; 3) Economic security and housing stability; 4) Online safety; 5) Legal and justice systems; 6) Emergency preparedness and crisis response; and 7) Research and data.
Each pillar in the plan is broken down into a few more specific goals and a couple more tailored objectives within those goals.
Some of these goals include increasing public awareness on the issue, investing more in research to gather data on people’s experiences, ensuring survivors have access to safe, affordable, and long-term housing, and expanding the options available for survivors seeking justice.
According to the statement from the White House, the plan is guided by lessons learned and progress made from the leadership of survivors, advocates, researchers, policymakers, and community members who have been at the forefront of efforts to prevent and respond to violence.
The report emphasizes that the plan will require collaboration among all elements of the federal government to implement the goals. Federal agencies will implement the plan through four methods: 1) strategic planning and budgeting, 2) Policy and program development, 3) Measurement and data and 4) Management and training.
Source: The Hill