The Effectiveness of the Violence against Women Act (VAWA) in Creating System-Level Change

Abstract

With the understanding that gendered violence is an issue that does not exist in silos, this article seeks to analyze the effectiveness of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in creating a system-wide response to stalking, domestic abuse, and sexual violence. Although these crimes are a prevailing social issue, until the passage of VAWA in 1994, little concerted effort existed between sectors or across agencies to respond to and meet the needs of those affected by these types of violence. In addition to providing an analysis of the partnership and funding between the public and nonprofit sectors, this article also examines changes in legislation and rates of victimization as indicators of system-level change. This article concludes that although VAWA has achieved great success in the immediacy, there are potential barriers related to the sustainability of the legislation’s desired long-term change.

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