Thread by @NTFSDV

(1/11)The National Task Force sent a letter to Senate Leadership today. Read the full statement here, read excerpts below. bit.ly/2QPCuW8

(2/11)We have grave concerns about the way the @senjudiciary, under current leadership, has failed to take into account the lessons learned through the implementation of VAWA over the past 24 years.

(3/11)If @senjudiciary is not willing to engage in a process that upholds the dignity and safety of a person who has come forward to report that she was a victim of sexual assault, then they can’t pretend to care about VAWA.

(4/11)The NTF will only engage in discussions on VAWA with MOC committed to doing this work with integrity; with those who not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk, regardless of party.

(5/11)This is the moment for you 1) to demonstrate the great progress we've made as a country in our response to victims of gender-based violence 2) to show that you're serious about implementing best practices for addressing SA 3) that you're committed to the work that VAWA does

(6/11)@senjudiciary You could have—you should have—set an example for our country in your treatment of Professor Ford and her allegations. #DearProfessorFord

(7/11)Instead, your actions and comments in the past week have taken us back 25 years, as if VAWA never existed, as if all of the hard-won and evidence-based best practices we have invested in as a nation were for naught.

(8/11)The attacks need to stop now. They send a message to every victim of sexual violence that their pain doesn’t matter, that they don't deserve justice, that, for them, fair treatment is out of reach. This will only serve to drive victims into the shadows and embolden abusers.

(9/11)In this very public arena, with these incredibly high stakes, we need to get this right. What the Senate does next will send a message to victims and offenders everywhere, whether or not you intend to send a message.

(10/11)Justice demands a fair process that treats Prof. Ford far better than the derision, scorn, and humiliation to which Prof. Hill was subjected 27 years ago. Justice demands that the hearing process be paused while the FBI reopens its investigation and talks to any witnesses.

(11/11)Senators: You can’t send that message with your words – you can only send it with your actions.