Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act - Violence Against Women Act

Title IV, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), allocated $1.6 billion to help prevent and investigate violence against women. VAWA was renewed in 2000 and in 2005. This includes:

  • The Safe Streets for Women Act, which increased federal penalties for repeat sex offenders and requires mandatory restitution for the medical and legal costs of sex crimes.
  • The Safe Homes for Women Act increased federal grants for battered women's shelters, creates a National Domestic Violence Hotline, and orders that the restraining orders of one state must be enforced by the other states. It also added a rape shield law to the Federal Rules of Evidence

Part of VAWA was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in United States v. Morrison (2000).

See also: Domestic violence in the United States

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