Violence Against Women Act Overview
Major VAWA Provisions and Their Impact
Under the leadership of then-Senator Joe Biden (DE-D), Congress recognized the severity of violence against women and our need for a national strategy with the enactment of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1994. This landmark Federal legislation’s comprehensive approach to violence against women combined tough new provisions to hold offenders accountable with programs to provide services for the victims of such violence. Criminal Justice Response VAWA has improved the criminal justice response to violence against women by: Holding rapists accountable for their crimes by strengthening Federal penalties for repeat sex offenders and creating a Federal “rape shield…