ASISTA Celebrates the Launch of US’s First-Ever National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV)(May 25, 2023)

By Maria Lazzarino

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May 25, 2023

Click here to access release in PDF format.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 25, 2023

Contact: Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.org

ASISTA Celebrates the Launch of US’s First-Ever National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV)

ASISTA is pleased to be at the White House complex today to witness the historic launch of the first-ever National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. We were happy to provide input into the development of the plan by hosting a listening session with Rosie Hidalgo, Special Assistant to the President for Gender Policy and Senior Advisor for the White House Gender Policy Council, on October 4th, 2021. At that session, we gathered a variety of stakeholders who shared the myriad challenges facing immigrant survivors, from xenophobia, transphobia and racism, to barriers to asylum and employment, and much more.

We are glad to see the inclusion of immigrant survivors throughout the National Action Plan. Furthermore, the Plan includes a specific call, long raised by immigrant survivors and the advocates who serve them, for a solution to the egregiously long wait times for immigration relief such as U visas–wait times that only further endanger survivors and their children. Much work remains to be done, both within and outside of this administration and the federal government, to advance safety for immigrant survivors. The Plan provides a critical framework and lays an important foundation for a path forward.

ASISTA Executive Director, Dr. Kirsten Rambo, attending the event, notes, “The development of this National Action Plan represents a truly historic achievement. Addressing the particular needs of immigrant survivors is absolutely crucial today, especially given the mounting barriers faced by survivors in this increasingly hostile political climate. An incredibly important and logical next step is for the Biden-Harris administration and the U.S. Congress to bring our country’s immigration policies into alignment with the goals of this Plan, to ensure that immigrant survivors are no longer harmed by US policies and practices as they seek safety and justice. We look forward to working with all our partners to realize the vision of this plan, which resonates with ASISTA’s own vision:  that immigrants live in a just world free from violence.”

Established in 2008, ASISTA is a national leader in the movement for safety and justice for immigrant survivors of gender-based violence. ASISTA’s founders helped write the immigration provisions of the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act (TVPA), affording legal status to hundreds of thousands of survivors and their children since 1994. With over 2,500 members nationwide, ASISTA’s work is focused on 1) providing expert case consultation, training, and resources to attorneys and advocates navigating the complex immigration system on behalf of survivors of gender-based violence, including intervening in specific cases as needed; 2) pushing for federal, state and local policies that ensure safety and justice for immigrant survivors; and 3) coordinating lawsuits to prevent the government from unfairly deporting survivors of violence. To learn more about ASISTA’s work, click here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, & LinkedIn.

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