Cantwell Legislation to Protect Thousands of Mail Order Brides from Abuse Becomes Law
Cantwell applauds renewal of Violence Against Women Act as president signs bill to guard against exploitation and domestic violence
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) applauded the president’s signing of the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act Thursday as part of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 2005. The new regulations, based on a bill sponsored by Cantwell, will help provide foreign fiancées with additional resources and will help them decide for themselves whether they are entering into a safe situation. VAWA includes additional safeguards for survivors of domestic violence.
"This law builds on past lessons, putting in place vital safeguards to protect women from abuse and exploitation," said Cantwell. "Foreign-born fiancées deserve to know about their rights here in the United States, and need information about whether their potential spouse has a history of violent crime."
Under current practice, American clients can get all the information they want about foreign fiancées, while foreign fiancées only receive the information that the men choose to share, and have no way to confirm what they are told. The new law, signed today, will make information available to foreign women about the marital and violent criminal history of their prospective American husbands, and will require international marriage brokers to provide foreign fiancées with information about the rights and resources available to domestic violence victims in the United States. The original legislation was sponsored by Cantwell and Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) in the Senate, and Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA) in the House.
Cantwell’s bill to protect mail order brides was included in the reauthorization of the landmark 1994 Violence Against Women Act, which provides resources for battered women and their families, and funds local law enforcement training programs. The Violence Against Women Act of 2005 makes several much need improvements to the original law by strengthening penalties, enhancing the privacy of victims, and increasing funding levels for programs to train law enforcement officers and provide assistance to survivors of domestic violence. The bill also makes it easier for officials to prosecute individuals who stalk victims over the internet, and enhances the services available to immigrants and trafficking victims, regardless of their immigration status.
"Domestic violence destroys families and we need to put a stop to it," said Cantwell. "This new law delivers more resources and help to the women and children who need it most."
Washington state VAWA programs served more than 25,000 Washingtonians in 2001, but because of a lack of resources, more than 30,000 women and children who sought services could not get help during that same time.
The new mail order bride law included in VAWA protects mail order brides by implementing much-needed safeguards at the federal level to monitor the thousands of unions arranged by international marriage brokers each year.
The use of marriage broker services has exploded in recent years with the growth of the internet. About 500 Internet sites exist solely to market foreign women, primarily from Eastern Europe and Asia, who are seeking American husbands. In 1999, the Immigration and Naturalization Service estimated that between 20,000 and 30,000 women had entered the U.S. using an International Marriage Broker during the previous five years. By 2004, those figures had more than doubled according to reports by the Tahirih Justice Center, a public policy advocacy center based in Virginia.
Cantwell supports domestic violence prevention initiatives and increased services for survivors of domestic violence. The Violence Against Women Act of 2005:
+ Increases funding to over $400 million a year for existing grant programs that provide vital support to law enforcement officers, lawyers, judges, and advocates who help domestic violence survivors
+ Strengthens criminal penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders
+ Updates criminal laws on stalking to incorporate new surveillance technology like Global Positioning Systems, and allows federal prosecutors more discretion in prosecuting stalking cases that occur over the internet
+ Creates a new grant program to strengthen the 1,300 rape crisis centers across the country
+ Strengthens and expands programs for rural or underserved areas and for older and disabled victims of domestic violence
+ Removes the current cap on funding for the National Domestic Violence Hotline Promotes collaboration between domestic violence experts and child welfare agencies
+ Increases grants to reduce violence against women on college campuses
+ Strengthens the health care system’s response to family violence by helping to train and educate health care professionals on domestic and sexual violence
+ Eases the housing problems faced by battered women through $20 million in grants to facilitate collaboration between domestic violence organizations and housing providers
+ Mandating that domestic violence victims may not be evicted from public and assisted housing due to domestic violence
+ Establishes a national resource center to help abused women maintain economic security by providing information to employers and labor organizations so they can help employees who are victims of domestic violence.
+ Improves and expands immigration protections for battered women and provides resources to victims who assist in trafficking cases
+ Creates a new tribal Deputy Director in the Office on Violence Against Women in an effort to prevent violence against Native American women
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