Violence Against Women Act: Elements & Considerations

In the early 1990's, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The act was intended to change attitudes toward domestic violence, foster awareness of domestic violence, improve services and provisions for victims, and revise the manner in which the criminal justice system responds to domestic violence. This legislation created new programs within the Department of Justice and Health and Human Services that aimed to both reduce domestic violence and improve response to and recovery from domestic violence incidents. VAWA primarily addresses certain types of violent crime through grant programs to state, tribal, and local governments; non-profit organizations; and universities. VAWA programs target the crimes of intimate partner violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This book provides a brief legislative history of VAWA and an overview of the crimes addressed with a focus on legislation and funding issues.

Preface; The Violence Against Women Act: Overview, Legislation, & Federal Funding; Immigration Provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA); Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction over Non-Indians in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization & the SAVE Native Women Act; Statement of Susan B Carbon, Director of the Office on Violence Against Women. Hearing on "The U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women"; Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, & Stalking: National Data Collection Efforts Underway to Address Some Information Gaps. Statement of Eileen R. Lawrence, Government Accountability Office, delivered at the Hearing on "The Violence Against Women Act: Building on Seventeen Years of Accomplishments"; Female Victims of Violence; Stalking Victimization in the United States; Index.