It's been over a month since the Violence Against Women Act expired at the start of the government shutdown. Congress failed to renew the act after voting for short-term extensions in the months prior to its expiration, and many programs and shelters that address dating violence and sexual abuse are still without funding. Now, according to Rebecca Palmer, chief program officer of the Community Resource Center, a non-profit in the North County area of San Diego that serves domestic violence survivors, agencies that rely on VAWA funds are "at a high risk" of not being able to support victims.
The act aims to address violence against women by providing prevention education and direct services for survivors, as well as "[changing] public attitudes through a collaborative effort by the criminal justice system, social service agencies, research organizations, schools, public health organizations, and private organizations," according to a report on the act. Generally, the act does this by providing grants to non-profit organizations and government entities.
Since its enactment in 1994, the VAWA has expanded its impact to fund specific programs that protect disabled, elderly, Native American, and minority women from violence, among other particularly vulnerable populations.
[For more on this story by WINTER SIERRA, go to https://psmag.com/news/the-vio...he-programs-it-funds]
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