The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is a groundbreaking piece of federal legislation, enacted in 1994, which seeks to end domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking of women. Since 1998, the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), which oversees the enactment of VAWA programs, has provided legal services providers, battered women shelters and law schools with grants to assist victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse and stalking in civil legal matters.

On January 5, 2006, President Bush signed into law H.R. 3402, the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005, which reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act for FYs 2007-2011 and authorizes appropriations for the Department of Justice for FYs 2006-2009.

The reauthorization contains a provision greatly expanding the reach of the Kennedy Amendment to the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) appropriations act by allowing LSC recipients to use both LSC and non-LSC funds to provide legal assistance to all victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking regardless of their immigration status. Additionally, LSC funded programs can now offer the same assistance to victims of other criminal activity listed in section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

NLADA and VAWA

NLADA's VAWA work includes, but is not limited to:

• lobbying for additional VAWA funding
• informing members on recent VAWA developments
• advocating for regulations and provisions that provide for legal services
• providing technical assistance to programs
• building support for VAWA initiatives