The Justice Department today hosted an event at the Robert F. Kennedy Building to mark the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The gathering included survivors, advocates, victim services professionals, community leaders, government officials, and partners from criminal and civil justice systems. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer delivered remarks during the event.
Attorney General Garland announced that 78 communities across 47 states, territories, and the District of Columbia have been designated under Section 1103 of the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022. These jurisdictions will work with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and ATF Field Divisions to develop plans to reduce intimate partner firearm violence and prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders prohibited from owning firearms under federal law.
“Three decades ago, VAWA transformed our national response to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking,” said Garland. “Its enactment sent a message: gender-based and intimate-partner violence is not just a private matter but a national crisis — one that our country was no longer willing to tolerate.”
VAWA was first enacted in 1994 as a comprehensive federal law aimed at preventing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Since then, Congress has reauthorized it multiple times—enhancing policies and expanding grant funding streams.
This week also saw the release of new resources by the Department designed to support coordinated community responses to domestic violence-related crimes. Among these resources is an updated National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations (SAFE Protocol) for adults and adolescents.
“As a young staffer on the Senate Judiciary Committee thirty years ago," said Monaco "I was privileged to play a small part in the passage of the original Violence Against Women Act." She highlighted that current VAWA programs provide significant resources for survivors and law enforcement alike.
Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Mizer emphasized ongoing efforts under VAWA's recent reauthorization: “I’m proud to say that this year OVW launched three new grant solicitations... OVW will be awarding more than $29 million to support restorative practice programs.”
The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) also published a report titled "Answering the Call: Thirty Years of the Violence Against Women Act," which documents VAWA’s impact through research findings and personal accounts from grantees and survivors.
Additionally, OVW Director Rosie Hidalgo noted efforts toward housing security for survivors in collaboration with other federal departments: “By providing housing security we can help support survivors."
The OVW continues its mission by administering financial aid and technical assistance aimed at reducing gender-based violence across communities nationwide.