VAWA or VAMA or

Lew Rockwell, founder and president of the Mises Institute in Auburn, Ala., and vice president of the Center for Libertarian Studies in Burlingame, CA, believes that the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is a discriminatory policy that prohibits men from receiving the necessary resources and services to escape domestic violence. However, “Senator Joseph Biden recently introduced the 2005 VAWA reauthorization bill. When challenged to make the bill gender inclusive, Biden responded, "Nothing in the act denies services, programs, funding or assistance to male victims of violence." Rockwell uses Phil Hartman, the Saturday Night Live actor who was shot and killed by his historically abusive wife, to argue that despite VAWA’s seemingly gender inclusive language, it affords no actual protection to men trying to flee domestic violence. “If these services are so readily available to men abused by their wives, why didn't Phil seek help from one of the numerous battered women's shelters around Los Angeles? Could it be that being "eligible to apply for services" is quite a different thing from being able to receive services when you need them?” “Despite the good senators' reassurances, VAWA-funded organizations routinely discriminate against men seeking help. Ten VAWA-funded women's shelters in Los Angeles were recently sued for refusing a male victim help. Rather than offering to stop their blatant discrimination, they went to court to defend their right to continue the discrimination.” Okay, I may quickly be scolded for suggesting this, but I would argue that WOMAN-ONLY spaces are CRITICAL to the success of shelters and programs aimed at helping WOMEN flee domestic violence situations. If men are feeling elided from these life-saving services and resources, why don’t they use the government-appropriated funds for domestic violence assistance (which are only available because of bills like VAWA and which remain critically low), and start their own community initiatives, shelters, or other programs they deem necessary to tackle the issue of DV against men? I’d tell Lew Rockwell to use VAWA in his favor to address what, for him, is obviously a very personal and crucial social situation. Using government money and his own personal bank account—because we all know that the women running these shelters put a good deal of their own money into these vital resources—Lew Rockwell could make his argument moot and open what may be the first Men-Only DV shelter. Frankly, he would probably be hailed as a hero by men everywhere. But of course, instead of taking any action to change things, he’s sitting on his ass, trying to use rhetoric to nullify public policy that SAVES WOMENS LIVES. Thanks to Sarah for the link.