Excerpt: "As the country celebrates the 18th anniversary of the legislation, here are some of the victories achieved through VAWA."
Stop Violence Against Women Act poster. (photo illustration: tk totem)
14 September 12
or many victims of domestic abuse, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has been a resounding success, and a lifeline. Since then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) wrote the legislation in 1994, the country's infrastructure for dealing with rape and abuse has vastly improved, saving countless women's lives and livelihoods.
As the country celebrates the 18th anniversary of the legislation, here are some of the victories achieved through VAWA:
But the outlook for VAWA is not quite as positive as its retrospective. A reauthorization of the law is currently embroiled in a partisan fight between Republicans and Democrats. Different versions of the bill have passed the House and Senate, but the two chambers appear unable to come to consensus on a final bill - in large part because Republicans will not accept expansions to the program that would aide Native Americans, LGBT victims, and undocumented immigrants.