At FUTURES, our Policy and Advocacy team works hard in concert with grassroots advocacy to support legislation that serves our mission of uplifting survivors, and prevention of violence. You can help and join the grassroots effort to bring systemic and positive change by taking action below.

Protect Moms from Domestic Violence Act

According to the CDC, 25% of women have experienced sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime. Currently, around 324,000 pregnant people experience IPV each year with 1 in 6 people abused for the first time during their pregnancy. Abuse while pregnant can lead to homicide, suicide, and drug overdose, the leading causes of pregnancy-associated deaths. IPV during pregnancy has also been shown to contribute to maternal mortality. 

The Protect Moms from Domestic Violence Act will promote improvements in research and make investments in innovative programs to prevent domestic violence, support survivors and address structural barriers to health equity. Tell your congressmember to cosponsor the Protect Moms from Domestic Violence Act TODAY. 

Take action here. 

Girls LEAD Act

Supporting Girls’ Leadership, Engagement, Agency, and Development, The Girls LEAD Act aims to improve the effectiveness of U.S.-led democracy and governance initiatives, as well as increase girls’ ability to engage in decision-making processes affecting their lives and their communities, ultimately fostering new generations of empowered women leaders.

https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/girls-lead-act/ 

Take action here

RISE from Trauma Act

The bipartisan RISE from Trauma Act, S. 2086 would make a major difference in the lives of families and communities most impacted by trauma. It would invest in the tools necessary for communities to recognize and coordinate services to prevent and address the effects of trauma, which has just increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nationally, nearly 35 million children have had at least one traumatic experience.

It is URGENT we invest in our own communities and the needs of the most vulnerable children, youth, and families, helping them heal from trauma and investing in our futures. This act does that, tell your Senator to cosponsor TODAY.

Take action here. 

Safe from the Start Act

Armed conflict, natural disasters and climate change often have the greatest impact on the poorest countries, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable, including women and girls.

Women and girls are often excluded from leadership and decision-making roles when it comes to humanitarian response. Without their voices included in the design and implementation of humanitarian response, the United States and others that provide humanitarian relief risk ignoring or exacerbating the needs of women and girls in our response efforts.

Help us formalize and advance the efficacy of the Safe from the Start program, which works to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) in humanitarian emergencies and protect survivors or those at risk. If you could protect those most vulnerable against assault, trafficking and gender based-violence, wouldn’t you?

Send a message to your members of Congress and ask them to cosponsor

Learn more here

Take action here

The VOCA Fix Act [PASSED]

The Senate passed the VOCA Fix bill on July 20, 2021. The vote was 100-0.

VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021, The money available for VOCA grants has dropped dramatically over the last few years, because the Department of Justice is entering into deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements instead of convicting offenders. The money from those agreements goes into the Treasury instead of going to VOCA grants. As a result, grants for victim services have been cut by two-thirds compared to three years ago, and victim service providers are facing further potentially catastrophic cuts in their VOCA grants. The VOCA Fix Act solves this crisis by redirecting monetary penalties from deferred and non-prosecution agreements to the VOCA fund and increasing the federal government’s contribution to state victim compensation funds as well as making other small changes.

https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/voca-fix-bill/

Take action here