¶ … Violence Against Women Act

Great importance is placed upon the 'safety' and 'security' of U.S. citizens by the present administration and the 'Homeland Security' however, many of the citizens in the U.S. are not safe in their own homes and funding for the same has been cut drastically. Are U.S. citizens to less safe in their own homes than at the airport? The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has been defunded based upon indications in certain reports that domestic violence has declined since 1994 when VAWA was first authorized while the reality is that "demand for services has continued to grow as more individuals come forward for help." (Violence Against Women Act, 2004) Cuts in funding for the very effective programs that have been developed is essentially crippling the program's impact rendering them unable to provide services and fulfill goals. Due to the cuts to the Civil Legal Assistance for Victims program, as well as others that work in upholding the principles and provisions of this act by the 2008 Fiscal Year Congressional Budget, many victims will go without advocates and the required support services which encourage the arrest of the attacker and removal of the attacker from the daily reality of these victims to domestic violence until they receive treatment and therapy. Because funding these programs is sound policy, to fail to properly fund these programs results in poor policy being implemented and at a great detriment to society. This is not lightly stated as fact but is based upon more than 1,000 victim services providers who were surveyed and whose responses "clearly demonstrate that without adequate funds from VOCA, many cannot meet the growing demand for services." (Violence Against Women Act, 2004) Alternative views do exist as stated previously however, these claims that domestic violence has decreased are erroneous and faulty. If indeed, individuals in the U.S. are to be as safe in their own homes as in the world around them, it is imperative that these programs received funding that allows them to be effective.

REFERENCES

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) (2004) Campaign for Funding to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. Online available at: http://www.americanhumane.org/site/DocServer/Campaign-Letter-Full-Funding-2008.pdf?docID=6901