1994 the U.S. Congress authorized a bill called the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) but it expired in 2011. It was the first national legislation to acknowledge domestic violence and sexual assaults as crimes. Partisan differences made passing the bill again or renewing it difficult until recently when it passed by an overwhelming majority. The Violence Against Women Act provides for funding for ancillary services such as counseling, law enforcement training, shelters, rape crisis centers, children’s services, community outreach and safe houses, etc.
It enhances “federal tribal state and local responses to domestic violence, sexual assaults, dating violence and stalking.” Without that funding these programs would be out of business and no one wants that.
“Domestic violence is one of the most common forms of violence endured by women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that one-fourth of U.S women will endure an abusive relationship, while some 1,300 people are killed each year by intimate partners.”
As recently as the 1970’s many states did not even have laws that did not directly prohibit domestic violence and in fact, if police responded at all to a domestic violence call, they didn’t respond favorably. As a result, the pandemic persisted.
Advocates of the program claim that it works. The Justice Department reports that from 1994 to 2010 the rate of violence between intimate partners decreased 64%.
The VAWA treats the problem that many states were in dire need of more shelters and more safe houses. Women need a place to go when they are in jeopardy. But there’s another side to the equation.
We have often maintained that domestic violence is a learned trait passed down from generation to generation. There’s a lot of evidence to support that theory. Until that cycle is broken, domestic violence will continue to be a major blight on the United States. Isn’t it time that we get serious about this and start putting some effort into prevention too?
The sad thing is that violence against women in other countries is much worse than it is in the United States.
If women feel in jeopardy because of their relationship with an intimate partner, boyfriend or husband, they should arm themselves with a self-defense product such as a pepper spray or stun gun to provide immediate relief from an assault. Those products can disable any assailant for up to 45 minutes giving you time to call for help.
This Powerful Pepper Spray or this Disguised Stun Gun that looks like a I phone can provide immediate relief from any assault.
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