VAWA and its complience in Oregon

Let's talk about the Violence Against Women Act and the ways the state of Oregon can ensure that the protections guaranteed by VAWA are enforced at the state and local level. We welcome 2 local activists to the studio, both of them long time advocates for women's rights and victims of domestic violence.

Liysa Swart is a profesional sports photographer. On October 9th, 2000 Liysa Swart shot and killed her husband Chris Northon after 4 years of domestic abuse. She spent 12 years in Coffee Creek Correctional Facility and was released in October 2012. She is now speaking out against domestic violence, the limitations of Oregon laws and the marginalization of victims of domestic abuse.
 Louise Bauschard, LCSW, founded the nonprofit organization Voices Set Free in 1997. She is a nationally recognized battered women's rights advocate and the co-author of "Voices Set Free: Battered Women Speak from Prison," 1986.

Liysa is trying to understand why the protections guaranteed by the VAWA to victims of domestic violence did not apply to her case. She wants to insure that what has happened to her never happens to anyone else.