The Senate approved the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (S. 1925) without any weakening amendments, by a vote of 68-31. AAUW applauds the Senate’s action, which builds on the success of previous reauthorizations and addresses the needs of all victims nationwide.

Since its enactment in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has saved lives and saved money. Despite VAWA’s success, its criminal justice and community-based programs remain acutely necessary. According to a recent Center for Disease Control study, nearly 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives; one in 6 women and 1 in 19 men have experienced stalking victimization; and about 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner.

The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (S. 1925), will streamline programs and increase accountability for grant recipients, enhance criminal justice responses to the crime of sexual assault, and address the needs of underserved populations. AAUW is particularly pleased that the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (S. 1925) includes campus safety provisions which will ensure that institutions of higher education have comprehensive procedures in place to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

The voters of Pennsylvania thank Senator Bob Casey for supporting this bill and admonish Senator Pat Toomey for being one of the 31 who voted against the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (S.1925).