FUNDING
Nationally, VAWA has awarded more than $8 billion in grants and cooperative agreements to state, tribal, and local governments, as well as nonprofit organizations, and universities. This funding provides the foundation for many of these organizations to do the critical work required to address Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in their communities.
NATIONAL IMPACTS
VAWA's impacts are real and have been felt around the country.
REDUCES PREVALENCE OF VIOLENCE
The Numbers Don't Lie.
From 1994 to 2008, the rate of Intimate Partner Violence targeted at women decreased 53%, while rates of violence against males decreased 54%. This has likely been driven by the 51% increase in reporting of intimate partner violence thanks to mandatory arrest laws (Modi et al., 2013). VAWA reduces victimization in our communities.
SAVES RESOURCES
Dollar for dollar, VAWA is successful.
Cost benefit analyses looking at VAWA have concluded the program costs $15.50 for every female in the United States, but averts nearly $47 in costs due to victimization (Clark et al., 2002).
CREATES COLLABORATION
Let's work together
In a comprehensive review of the impacts of VAWA on communities, authors noted that, "One of the continued successes of the act is increased partnerships between the sectors... [T]he Program puts particular emphasis on the collaboration of community agencies including law enforcement, prosecution, the courts, health care, and social service agencies" (Aday, 2015). VAWA creates a foundational framework from which different community organizations can come together to create change in our communities.
VAWA TIMELINE
From 1994 to Today
1994
VAWA is first passed
President Bill Clinton signs the first version of the Violence Against Women Act into law. The Act provides $1.5 billion in grants over the next 5 years to organizations and state and local governments and is passed by a bipartisan majority. The Act is hailed as a massive success for women's rights supporters.
2013
After nearly a year of negotiations due to congressional Republican objections over LGBTQ+ and Native American protections in the bill, VAWA is renewed by a bipartisan vote. President Barack Obama signs the bill into law.
VAWA is renewed
2021
Renewal in Progress
Congress is currently working on efforts to renew VAWA after partisan gridlock stymied the bills' renewal in 2020. Some congressional Republicans have concerns about how VAWA closes the "boyfriend loophole" by requiring that non-spousal live-in partners also be subject to gun purchasing restrictions if convicted of domestic violence.
HOW VAWA IMPACTS SAFE
LEARNING MORE ABOUT VAWA
National Network to End Domestic Violence
https://nnedv.org/content/violence-against-women-act/
United States Justice Department Office on Violence Against Women
REFERENCES:
Aday, Tara. “The Effectiveness of the Violence against Women Act (VAWA) in Creating System-Level Change.” SPNHA Review, vol. 11, no. 1, Jan. 2015, https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/spnhareview/vol11/iss1/3.
Clark et al. - 2002 - A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Violence Against Wo.Pdf. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.831.5888&rep=rep1&type=pdf. Accessed 12 Mar. 2021.
Clark, Kathryn Andersen, et al. “A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994.” Violence Against Women, vol. 8, no. 4, Apr. 2002, pp. 417–28. DOI.org (Crossref), doi:10.1177/10778010222183143.
Full Text. https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc3952594?pdf=render. Accessed 12 Mar. 2021.
Modi, Monica N., et al. “The Role of Violence Against Women Act in Addressing Intimate Partner Violence: A Public Health Issue.” Journal of Women’s Health (2002), vol. 23, no. 3, Mar. 2014, pp. 253–59. PubMed, doi:10.1089/jwh.2013.4387.
PubMed Entry. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24299159. Accessed 12 Mar. 2021.