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aamusedinatxAs a woman who survived a five year marriage to a sadist, constant mental and physical abuse including 3 direct attempts on my life, I consider this a victory for all women:
A look at what's in the final bill.
Ann Friedman
December 19 , 2005
The Violence Against Women Act gained final approval from Congress on Saturday, just before the holiday recess. Final negotiations between the House and Senate versions of the bill centered on language and funding for crucial programs such as rape prevention and education, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and training for health care providers.
Women's rights advocates, who had worried that important provisions would be lost at the last minute, are celebrating the bill's passage as a major success.
"There was a sustained level of drama, trying to figure out if those desperately-needed programs were going to make it in," says Lisalyn R. Jacobs of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women. "I guess Santa decided he was going to be beneficent."
Highlights of the reauthorization include:
