AFA-CWA International President Veda Shook's Message at the VAWA Rally

June 26, 2012 - Good day everyone. My name is Veda Shook and I am the International President for the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. AFA represents nearly 60,000 members at 21 carriers and our union is proud to be a part of the 700,000 member strong CWA and 12 million member AFL-CIO. Collectively, we strongly urge Congress to reconcile the different versions of the Violence Against Women Act of 2011 (VAWA) into one strong, expansive reauthorization that continues to protect victims of domestic violence. AFA has been committed on this issue for decades. In the early 1990s, we helped spearhead the implementation of VAWA. Today, I am here to help continue our legacy of fighting to end abuse in personal relationships.

As an Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant, I represent, and our members cross all the disaffected groups we are seeking to protect today. From Native Alaskans in the remotest villages accessible only by air travel, to our international crews who planes sometimes transport victims of human trafficking, to our members, many of whom are part of the LGBT community.

Domestic violence remains a troubling part of our society. Each year, a staggering 1.3 million women and 800,000 men annually are physically assaulted by an intimate partner.

Within AFA, fully one percent of our membership has reported abuse committed by an intimate partner to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). And this is in a workforce that has union protections and a safe, union sponsored peer support program, with a confidential reporting system. Unfortunately, because domestic violence is often underreported, we suspect that in reality these numbers are higher

Our employee assistance program helps members, their families and partners deal with concerns on and off the job that affect them. AFA and our peer counselors who make up our EAP program are strongly committed to the health, safety and well-being of all of our members. Each day, our Employee Assistance Program Flight Attendant Representatives work to connect flight attendant victims with various state programs that can offer support to victims with assistance and compensation programs.

It is imperative that Congress continues its work to reauthorize the VAWA., We need to pass a “real” VAWA that expands protections of all victims of domestic violence; female, male, straight, gay, bisexual transgendered, Native American and immigrant. Now is not the time to roll back current law and deny coverage to any victim!

It is vital to continue efforts to expand protections as the ability to for abusers to victimize becomes easier. In this electronic age, the advancement of technologies has made it is easier for abusers to stalk, harass and bully their victims. For example, flight attendants have reported their domestic abusers have been able to obtain their private work passwords to stalk their movement and have even shown up in the middle of trips or on layover to exercise their control.

VAWA needs to be continually reevaluated to combat new forms of harassment as they emerge. Expansion of VAWA will ensure services and resources are available to victims. As technologies make it easier to abuse remotely, services and protections need to be expanded to meet the threat. We need a “real” VAWA that expands protections.

We know that it is more than just violence against women that we are here to combat; it really should be called violence against people. We recognize that VAWA was meant to protect women from domestic violence, and over the years the reach of VAWA has extended to the elderly, disabled, and teens. However, there are still more victims we can protect. Recent research estimates eleven percent of gay women and fifteen percent of gay men report some form of violence from their partner.

AFA encourages victims of domestic violence to file police reports in order to be eligible for the funds to help individuals. However, under the current law, we must tell our members who are victims of same sex abuse that reporting abuse to the police is ineffective because they won’t be eligible for services provided under VAWA. LGBT victims are turned away when they seek help from a domestic violence shelter or denied protection orders. The “real” VAWA would end this injustice allowing state programs to extend the reach of the law to cover same-sex couples.

Additionally, VAWA needs to extend protections to immigrant victims including victims of international human trafficking. Flight Attendants are working with the Department of Homeland Security and its Blue Campaign to help identify human trafficking. According to the Department of Justice, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 victims of human trafficking cross our borders every year. These victims are often ripped from their homes, manipulated and abused. It is imperative that VAWA gives immigrant victims the tools needed to report abuse. If we fail to provide safe refuge for these victims, we are guilty of abetting their continued enslavement.

The “real” VAWA’s immigration provisions address the ability of abusers to control their victims over fears about their immigration status. Having legal immigration status is crucial to a victim feeling safe enough to seek help. Victims of violence should never be forced to choose between living with abuse and facing deportation. It’s time for Congress to pass the “real” VAWA.

Members of Congress, please finish the crucial work you started. It’s time to reconcile the two bills into a strong bill that resembles the Senate version, the “real” VAWA.

Nobody should be able to get away with domestic abuse just because their victim may be female, male, straight, bi, gay, transgender, an immigrant or Native American. The list of potential victims is too long and our great nation has come too far in erasing barriers to legalized discrimination. Pass the “real” VAWA so that no victim will be turned away and denied help and assistance