WASHINGTON – The US Justice Department Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) commemorated Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month by looking back at a landmark policy protecting women from domestic violence.
The Violence Against Women Act was written by then Senator Joe Biden (D) and passed in 1994 as part of a broader movement to respond to disproportionately high rates of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking against women.
It was reauthorized with expanded provisions in 2000, 2005, 2013 and 2022.
“With each subsequent reauthorization, OVW has been able to expand and enhance our support for programs, ensuring that they are trauma-informed and survivor-centered,” the office said.
While the initial policy passed with broad bipartisan support, the 2022 reauthorization was opposed by the National Rifle Association and a large cohort of Republican leaders due to the bill banning some men convicted of assaulting their dating partners from owning guns.
US Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R) articulated her reasoning for opposing the reauthorization in 2022.
“The bill before the House…puts partisan politics ahead of vulnerable women by inserting extraneous gun control language that I do not support,” McMorris Rodgers said.
According to OVW, grants established by the reauthorized Violence Against Women Act will allow the Justice Department to expand prosecution in domestic violence and sexual assault cases. The law enforcement agencies receiving the funding will be announced in October according to OVW.
The national congress will likely consider an additional reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2027 when current grant funding runs out.