User:Jbains03/Domestic violence in the United States

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Violence Against Women Acts


The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was originally passed in 1994, and reauthorized in 2005, 2013, and 2022. These federal laws work to end domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking through the creation of new programs and legislation within the Department of Justice and Health and Human Services. Along with the passage of provisions to legislation, the Office of Violence Against Women came to fruition in 1995 under the Department of Justice of the United States to continue efforts that would protect women. The primary role of the division was to evaluate and improve outcomes for domestic violence survivors through tackling related issues like housing insecurity. One of the contributions of the OVAW was the introduction of federal grants to incentivize agencies to help women in need. The VAWA intensified investigations and prosecutions of individuals involved in domestic abuse cases and it decreased the number of occurrences. The law helped victim advocates and government agencies work together, created prevention and victim support programs, and resulted in new punishments for certain violent crimes, which by 2005 resulted in:

In 2013 additional facets were added to VAWA: new provisions for grant funding; allowing authorization to Native American Tribes to enforce domestic violence laws; and amendments to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.
 * 49.8% reduction of non-fatal, violent victimizations committed by intimate partners.
 * In the first six years, an estimated $14.8 billion in net averted social costs.
 * 51% increase in reporting of domestic violence and 18% increase in National Domestic Violence Hotline calls each year, evidence that as victims become aware of remedies, they break the code of silence.

In 2022 VAWA funding was reauthorized to include the Ensuring Forensic Health Care for all Act (EFCA) to fund the support for generalist forensic nurse training.