NNEDV Looks Forward to Working with the Biden-Harris Administration on Creating Meaningful Change for Survivors

November 10, 2020

A statement from Deborah J. Vagins, NNEDV President and CEO 

The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) looks forward to working with President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. to lead changes to meet the needs of all survivors. We acknowledge this historic moment, and in particular want to recognize the groundbreaking achievement of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the first woman and the first Black and South Asian American person to lead the country in this role.

President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris will take office as our nation is in the midst of multiple, intersecting crises that exacerbate disparities in our communities and endanger survivors of domestic violence. The pandemic, systemic racism, and an economic crisis still grip the country. Survivors need urgent action to meet their immediate needs and long-term policies that prevent and end violence. We look forward to working with them on an agenda that meets the needs of all communities and brings us together as a nation to address the underlying conditions that allow violence to exist.

As an author of the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1994, President-elect Biden has a legacy of over 25 years moving the country forward on issues of domestic violence. He has worked in close partnership with grassroots advocates, domestic violence coalitions, and survivors to make that progress.

Yet, we know that VAWA has not ended domestic violence, and the criminal justice provisions have not led to safety for all survivors, especially for survivors of color and other historically marginalized survivors.  

Over the next four years, we must build upon the achievements of VAWA, while creating additional successes by moving in new directions, rooted in the work of communities across the nation. NNEDV looks forward to working closely with the new administration as it convenes leaders, inspires creative solutions across the government, and addresses gender-based violence from the White House.

We call on the Biden-Harris Administration to implement a coordinated, government-wide strategy to: 

• Center the needs of historically marginalized survivors, including those who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQ+, and immigrants, and work to reform systems that imperil them;
• Respond to survivors’ needs amid the pandemic and natural disasters;
• Invest in core strategies that prevent and end gender-based violence and support the work of domestic violence coalitions and local programs;
• Scale up prevention strategies to reach every community;
• Address survivors’ housing needs; and
• Increase survivors’ access to economic justice and financial security.

Working with President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, the U.S. Congress, and the 56 state and territorial domestic violence and dual sexual assault coalitions, we can create meaningful and lasting change in prevention, housing and economic resources, anti-discrimination protections, and other long-term solutions to meet all survivors’ needs.

Join us to learn more about our policy priorities, and help support our work by donating today.