Crime & Safety

Attorney General Supports Violence Against Women Act

Joins other states in asking congress to continue the Act's programs.

On Jan. 11, Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly joined colleagues from 52 states and territories calling on the U.S. Congress to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act ("VAWA") and ensure that programs working to keep women and families safe from violence and abuse continue uninterrupted.

In their letter to members of Congress, the Attorneys General note that since the initial passage of VAWA in 1994, the national response to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking has been transformed.

Crimes that used to be considered private, family matters to be dealt with behind closed doors have been brought out of the darkness and the results have been dramatic. But while rates of domestic violence have dropped by over 50 percent in the past 17 years, the issues addressed by VAWA are still very much at the forefront of the crime fight. Tragically, three women are killed each day in the United States by abusive husbands and partners, and for every victim who loses her life there are nine more who narrowly escape.

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Citing the need to maintain services to victims and families on the local, state, and federal level, the Attorneys General urged Congress to reauthorize VAWA for the first time since 2006. They note that reauthorization would not only allow existing programs to continue uninterrupted, but would also provide for the development of new initiatives aimed at key areas most in need of intervention.

These initiatives include:

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  • Addressing the high rates of domestic violence, dating violence and sexual assault among women aged 16-24. Programs will work to combat tolerant youth attitudes toward violence and break the cycle in which women who experience abuse as teens are more likely to be victimized again as adults.
  • Implementing best practices, training, and communication tools among the healthcare, law enforcement, and legal services that a victim encounters after an assault.
  • Preventing domestic violence homicides by enhancing training for law enforcement, advocates, and others who interact with those at risk. A growing number of experts and researchers agree that these homicides are predictable and therefore preventable if we know the warning signs.

The Attorneys General closed their letter to Congress by recalling that when VAWA was first passed in 1994, it was recognition that domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking are pervasive issues affecting individuals, families and communities across the nation. They note that the progress that has resulted from strong federal support has been tremendous, but that the fight never ends. Reauthorizing VAWA, the Attorneys General say, will enable that progress to continue, building on the lessons we have learned along the way and saving countless lives.


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