Statement of the Attorney General on the
Passage of the Reauthorization of
the Violence Against Women Act

The Attorney General made the following statement today on the Senate’s approval of the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA):

“No one should suffer from domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence or stalking, which is why I applaud the passage of the bill to reauthorize the critical Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) through the Senate.  This legislation originally transformed our nation’s response to crimes against women, and today it helps us bring justice to victims and hold offenders accountable.  The Department of Justice is committed to ending violence against women and vigorously enforcing the provisions of VAWA.”

About the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW):

Since the passage of VAWA in 1994, OVW has awarded over $4.6 billion in grants and cooperative agreements. VAWA grant funds train an average of over 500,000 law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, victim advocates, and other personnel every year and provide services to more than 700,000 victims. These investments have supported a wide variety of critical efforts – from initiatives aimed at preventing teen dating violence and sexual assaults, to improving the reporting of these crimes, reducing the backlog of rape kits, and building the capacity of Tribal Courts to combat domestic violence.   And several OVW programs support initiatives and organizations that – by providing women with job training, financial literacy training, and housing services – have already had a clear economic impact.

For more information on OVW, go to www.ovw.usdoj.gov.