The Biden administration revealed Thursday a national plan to end "gender-based violence" following years of inaction since the Violence Against Women Act of 1994.
According to the White House Gender Policy Council report, gender-based violence is "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."
That means it covers rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking, and family violence. In addition, the plan addresses areas ignored in previous legislation, like gender-related hate crimes and sexual exploitation.
"Freedom from domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of gender-based violence is a basic human right," the White House GPC tweeted.
Seven pillars are highlighted in the council's report: prevention; support, healing, safety, and well-being; economic security and housing stability; online safety; legal and justice systems; emergency preparedness and crisis response; and research and data.
Each core tenet is broken down into various others that encourage public awareness, the welfare of victims, and investing in research toward the data collection of people's experiences.
A GBV Federal Interagency Working Group was also created and is tasked with regular meetings to ensure federal agencies manage their resources correctly to implement the new policies.
"Gender-based violence is a public safety and public health crisis, affecting urban, suburban, rural, and Tribal communities in the United States," the White House said in a press release.
"It is experienced by individuals of all backgrounds and can occur across the life course," the statement continued. "Though we have made significant progress to expand services and legal protections for survivors, much work remains."
President Joe Biden established the White House GPC in 2021 to focus on gender equality in American policy. The group issued a national strategy on the topic later that year.
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