February 10, 2017
Courtesy of Acting Director Nadine M. Neufville, Office on
Violence Against Women
Last week the Justice Department submitted a Report to
Congress that documents the effectiveness of grant programs authorized by the
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
The “Effectiveness of Grants” report goes beyond straight
reporting of numbers of people served and trainings delivered. It also
describes specific ways funding is bolstering our ability to pursue justice and
apply effective techniques to respond to domestic violence, sexual assault,
dating violence and stalking throughout the United States.
Vignettes--submitted by people whose lives have been saved
by VAWA funds--illuminate the data in the report. The report shows how
communities are using VAWA grants to ensure that the men and women who work
inside and outside the justice system have the training they need to
effectively administer justice and hold offenders accountable. The report
demonstrates, for example, how funds help pay the salaries of detectives and
prosecutors who handle domestic violence and sexual assault cases and advocates
who help victims get the services they need.
The report also highlights how funds provide the beds that
shelter children and their parents who flee violent homes, how funds help
ensure that someone who has been sexually assaulted gets specialized care and
has evidence collected for a rape kit, and how people who need legal help can
get it if their safety hinges on what happens in court.
The “Effectiveness of Grants” report documents two years’
worth of investments in solutions and accomplishments that would have been
impossible without VAWA. But the report
also highlights that much work remains to be done. OVW is committed to
supporting proven strategies and solutions that further the common goal of
ending sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.
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