From the document: The passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1994 marked a critical achievement in a long history of efforts in the United States to afford victims of domestic and sexual violence their rights to safety, justice, and autonomy. The original VAWA was, at its core, a criminal justice bill focused largely on improving how law enforcement and the court system respond to domestic violence. It was designed to equip the justice system with resources, training, and policies to deal with a crime that historically was treated as a private matter between a husband and wife, and about which misperceptions still persist. […] To mark 20 years since VAWA was first enacted, and hear directly from the communities that have benefited from its funding, OVW [The Office on Violence Against Women] leadership and staff launched the VAWA 20-Year Anniversary Tour and visited grant recipients in 50 locations in 20 states between November 2014 and September 2015. We visited rural, urban, suburban, and tribal communities to witness the impact of VAWA funding on--and the role of a coordinated community response in--their efforts to combat domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This report is a summary of those conversations, highlighting the lasting influence of VAWA on communities' ability to respond to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking, and identifying persistent barriers and gaps in services.
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