Violence Against Women Act

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The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) is a United States federal law. It was passed as Title IV, sec. 40001-40703 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 HR 3355 and signed as Public Law 103-322 by President Bill Clinton on September 13, 1994. Since that time--through the Office of Violence Against Women at the U.S. Justice Department, and the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services--VAWA has provided over $4 billion dollars to combat domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault nationwide. The Violence Against Women Act's programs range from policies to encourage the prosecution of abusers, to victim's services to prevention programs. VAWA helped forge new alliances between police officers, courts, and victim advocates.

VAWA was drafted by Senator Joseph Biden's office with support from a number of advocacy organizations including Legal Momentum and The National Organization for Women, which heralded the bill as "the greatest breakthrough in civil rights for women in nearly two decades."

VAWA was reauthorized by Congress in 2000, and again in December 2005. The bill was signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 5, 2006. ^[1]

VAWA will be up for reauthorization in 2010.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline

In United States v. Morrison, 529 U.S. 598 (2000), the United States Supreme Court held that portions of VAWA were unconstitutional because, in enacting the law, Congress exceeded its authority under Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 - The Commerce Clause.

[edit] International perspectives

International Violence Against Women Act of 2007 [1]:

Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish in the Department of State the Office of Women's Global Initiatives (which shall replace the Office of International Women's Issues) to coordinate U.S. government efforts respecting international women's issues. Establishes within the Department an Advisory Commission on International Violence Against Women.

Directs the President to develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent violence against women and girls. Directs the Coordinator of the Women's Global Initiatives to ensure that foreign assistance programs incorporate measures to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. Provides that U.S. training of foreign military and police forces incorporates training on prevention of violence against women and girls.

Directs the Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist programs that prevent and respond to violence against women and girls in all humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-conflict operations. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) encourage U.N. member states to expand the number of female members of U.N. peacekeeping missions; and (2) take emergency measures to respond to violence against women and girls during conflict or post-conflict operations.

Expresses the sense of Congress that the United Nations should strengthen its ability to prevent violence against women and girls by U.N. military and civilian personnel. Provides that Foreign Service training include instruction on prevention of violence against women and girls. Authorizes appropriations to support the United Nations Development Fund for Women Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence Against Women.

The World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna in 1993, and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women [2] in the same year, concluded that civil society and governments have acknowledged that domestic violence is a public health policy and human rights concern.

The World Health Organization [3] conducted an extensive study on world-wide domestic violence. Released in 2005, the study analyzed data from 10 countries and sheds new light on the prevalence of violence against women. It seeks to look at domestic violence from a public health policy perspective.

The findings from this and other studies can be used to inform a more effective response from government, including the health, justice and social service sectors, as a step towards fulfilling the state’s obligation to curtail domestic violence under international human rights laws.