White House launches national plan to end gender-based violence

CNN

The White House launched the first national action plan of its kind to stop gender-based violence such as domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence.

The US National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence released on Thursday includes seven pillars that the Biden Administration aims to concentrate its efforts. These include providing support to survivors of gender-based abuse, addressing online bullying and abuse, conducting more robust research, as well as gathering additional data about gender-based violent. The US National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, released Thursday, includes seven pillars under which the Biden administration aims to focus its efforts. These include providing support for survivors of gender-based violence, addressing online harassment and abuse, and conducting more robust research as well as collecting additional data on gendered violence.

Jennifer Klein, director of the White House Gender Policy Council and assistant to President, made a statement Thursday to CNN.

Klein stated that President Biden had made a significant contribution to the nation's commitment in preventing and eliminating domestic violence, sexual abuse, and other gender-based forms of violence during his career as a public servant and as an original author and advocate of the landmark Violence Against Women Act. This National Plan builds upon that legacy, advancing an entire government approach in expanding survivors' access to safety, healing, justice, and support.

In 2021, Joe Biden will sign an executive order establishing the White House Gender Policy Council. He has asked the council to create a national gender strategy, including a commitment to end gender-based violence, both at home and abroad.

Separately last year, the Violence Against Women Act – aimed at supporting and protecting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault – was renewed. This marked a long-term effort to modernize this landmark legislation, which expired in 2018. Biden was involved in the creation of the 1994 legislation when he served as a Delaware senator.

A public safety crisis and a public-health crisis

A senior official in the administration said that about 80 countries have national action plans. The United Nations views it as a "promising practice" for the global commitment to ending gender-based violence.

According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that 1 in 3 women in the world have experienced physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime.

The senior official of the administration said, 'We're excited to share for the first-time the US plan with the rest of the world. We'll do this both locally and globally. The senior administration official said that gender-based violence was a crisis of public safety and public health in the United States and worldwide, affecting people from all walks of life.

In a press release issued Thursday, the National Network to End Domestic Violence called the White House’s National Action Plan ‘groundbreaking’ and said that it was being launched 'at a time where survivors' needs have never been higher and outstrip the capacity of domestic abuse shelters.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline in the United States is 1-800-799-7233.