The 1994 Violence Against Women Act: A Historic Response to Gender Violence

Abstract

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is frequently questioned about its success, especially during times of its reauthorization. While federal, state, local, and private organizations have funded a significant amount of research through VAWA since its inception, questions remain as to whether the field has the evidence to make a concrete judgment about its success. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, we review the Act and its subsequent reauthorizations. Second, the article addresses issues related to VAWA’s success. We consider whether it is possible to answer Moore Parmley’s question posed in 2004, p. 1,428: “ . . . on the anniversary of the VAWA, will we be able to say with any confidence that the Act helped to prevent violence against women?”