Introduction The 113th United States Congress is among the recent meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The following study focuses on the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 especially on its history, congressional activity and developmental stages that saw its ratification (VAWA 2013). The legislation of the 113th Congress is relevant to grants consolidation as it addresses intimate partner violence (IPV). VAWA 2013 was signed into law by President Obama on March 7, and it managed to recognize those tribes’ that were faced with inherent power when exercising “special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction” (SDVCJ) over certain defendants. The legislation is relevant regarding strengthening the healthcare systems when responding to the violence of different natures such as domestic, dating, sexual assault, and stalking. Therefore, passing the law meant that certain tribes or groups (Native American women, the LGBT community, and those women immigrants that have no legal status) were allowed to exercise SDVCJ sooner.

The VAWA is an invaluable legislation because it gave certain tribes or groups sovereignty when it came to exercising powers such as investigating, prosecuting, convicting, and sentencing. It was all directed to the non-Indians and Indian communities in America especially those who were fond of assaulting their spouses and date partners or those who violated the order of protection stipulated under Indian laws (Modi, Palmer and Armstrong 255). Moreover, VAWA 2013 manages to give clarifications to power sovereignty and the enforcement of civil protection order against non-Indians and Indian communities. Moreover, VAWA 2013 was initially introduced and passed by Congress in 1994. It served as a landmark that recognized the rampant cases and effects of domestic violence at the federal level. For the Native Americans, the law implied that their protection was expanded.

In this paper, the first issue that is going to be handled concerns the law in brief and how it has changed the situation for Native American women and other groups/tribes living in America. Secondly, the paper will attempt to bring out issues relating to why others opposed the law. Finally, we shall look at how the counter-argument is flawed, and this will then give way to final thoughts and implications of the law.

Brief Explanation of VAWA 2013

VAWA 2013 is a legislation intended to spur culture change when it came to issues about law enforcement activities. For Obama’s administration, VAWA 2013 meant that women were being empowered, given support, and protection in the United States and around the world. For a long period, the issues of violence against women have spurred mixed reactions in different societies. Various issues contribute to the increase in violence against women. Culture is one of the issues that have influenced the prevalence of these issues. Some cultures give men...

This prompts men to behave unconditionally towards women when handling issues such as domestic conflicts or workplace conflicts. Apparently, these cultures are not native to the American society. However, people from regions that practice these cultures who live in the country are bound to exercise them within the country. Another major contributor to this crisis is the negligence of law enforcement agents when handling cases of violence against women. Many cases have been dismissed by the police and the courts citing the lack of evidence. However, it is clear that these issues happen in our communities and neighborhoods. Most law enforcement agencies tend to neglect these cases due to the lack of stern laws the determine gender relations in the society. Therefore, the bill was tabled and passed into law because of the high number of cases of domestic violence among Native Americans. Moreover, law enforcers had a long history of decline when it came to handling issues and cases reported of domestic violence. As stated by “Violence against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013”
“(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘sexual assault’’ and all that follows through ‘‘dating violence’’ and inserting ‘‘domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including the appropriate use of nonimmigrant status under subparagraphs (T) and (U) of section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)).’’

VAWA 2013 is no longer a bill but a law ratified by President Obama. The institutions that are in support of this law include Peace Corps, the White House Task Force who looked at protecting students from sexual assault. Furthermore, in 2014, President Obama and Vice President Biden started a campaign on the same and they collaborated with the media, sexual assault prevention organization, institutions of higher education, corporations, and non-profit organizations among others (The White House 5). Moreover, battered women’s movement, the courts, law enforcement agencies, and advocates handling sexual assault cases supported the bill. However, several House members who included GOP Congressmen like Louie Gohmert, Thomas Massie, Walter Jones, Paul Broun, and Tom McClintock among others also rejected the bill.

Arguments

I support VAWA 2013 because it has managed to give certain tribes or groups sovereign power when protecting them against violence. It is essential to address such issues that affect the vulnerable groups in the society. The negligence of societal mechanisms in the address of these issues has elevated the magnitude of their effects. In the United States, the most violated human right is that of domestic and sexual violence that Native women experience. Sexual assault takes place in every day in the American society. Some of the cases are reported while other cases are not reported.…