by: Judy Hale Reed, Staff Writer
All Pennsylvania law schools are hosting special events during 2013-2014 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, most recently re-authorized in 2013. At Duquesne University School of Law, students from the Women’s Law Association organized a week of special events, including an exhibition, info table, and a lunch panel. The students organized these events to be held in the week leading up to a special CLE symposium organized by Jane Campbell Moriarty, the Carol Los Mansmann Chair in Faculty Scholarship, Associate Dean for Scholarship, and Professor of Law.
The school hosted an exhibition of Silent Witnesses, which are stand-alone life size figures of female silhouettes bearing a plaque with the story of one woman who was killed by her abusive partner. Students staffed an info booth table all week at noon and 5:00 pm to inform the law school community about resources that are available in Allegheny County to address intimate partner violence.
The Women’s Law Association, Indigenous Law Society, Criminal Law Association, and Public Interest Law Association co-hosted a panel on Thursday, March 27, 2014 with legal professions who work on VAWA issues. Panelists included state and federal prosecutors and state-level policy advocates who have worked on state and federal legislation related to gender-based and intimate partner violence. Students learned about the experiences of working with victims and the new provisions from the 2013 renewal. The new provisions expanded who may qualify as a victim, to include male, LGBTQ, and Native American victims of violence. This event also provided an excellent networking opportunity for the students who attended.
The week culminated in the CLE symposium, “The Violence Against Women Act and Its Impact on the U.S. Supreme Court and International Law,” on March 29, 2014. The keynote speaker was Cheryl Hanna, Professor of Law and Vice-President of Vermont School of Law, who spoke about domestic violence as a human rights problem. Professor Hanna’s comments will be published in a forthcoming edition of the Duquesne Law Review.
Dean Moriarty moderated a panel with Patricia Falk (Cleveland-Marshall College of Law), Nancy Chi Cantalupo (Georgetown Law), and Judith Lipton (Case Western Reserve University School of Law). Professor Falk spoke on the rape crisis at colleges and in the military, while Professor Cantalupo spoke about the intersection of Title IX and VAWA. Professor Lipton spoke about her role as a Clinical Law Professor representing abused women and about the proliferation of the “mail order bride” industry.
Professor Lisette McCormick of the Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Fairness moderated a panel presented by Duquesne’s own Professor Kitchen and 3L Judy Hale Reed. Professor Kitchen addressed the judicial mixed messages inherent in protective orders and the courts’ failure to address the role of mothers in these cases. Hale Reed presented an overview of the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the US decision not to ratify the convention, and discussed the approaches to CEDAW’s implementation in two Islamic Law states, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.
Duquesne Law’s agenda for celebrating the 20th anniversary of VAWA was quite robust and provided substantive activities and educational opportunities open to the entire University community.
Ms. Hale Reed is a 3L who has worked for gender equality at the community and policy levels both within and outside of the U.S. before she entered law school. She is an active member of the Women’s Law Association at Duquesne University School of Law.
Link to the CLE http://www.duq.edu/academics/schools/law/events/the-violence-against-women-act-and-its-impact-on-the-us-supreme-court-and-international-law–march-29
For more information on the Violence Against Women Act, visit the White House VAWA Factsheet <http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/vawa_factsheet.pdf>
For more information on Pennsylvania law schools’ 20th anniversary celebrations, visit the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence website <http://www.pcadv.org/News/VAWA-20th-Celebrated/>
