The Obama Administration’s Commitment to Combating Violence Against Women

Ensuring life-saving services to victims of domestic violence and their children

Last year, President Obama signed the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, which included reauthorization of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) FVPSA funds nearly 1,700 shelters and service programs for victims of domestic violence and their children. It also supports the National Domestic Violence Hotline, whose staff and volunteers answer more than 23,000 calls for help each month and link victims with the resources they need to rebuild their lives.
In August 2011, as part of the Affordable Care Act, the Department of Health and Human Services announced historic new guidelines that will ensure women receive preventive health services without additional cost, including domestic violence screening and counseling.
This October, the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development collaborated to hold town hall meetings in ten regions of the country to promote the role of men in speaking out about violence against women.

On April 4, 2011, Vice President Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan introduced comprehensive guidance to help schools, colleges and universities better understand their obligations under federal civil rights laws to prevent and respond to the problem of campus sexual assault.
The Vice President launched the 1is2many initiative in September 2011 on Twitter and through the Whitehouse website with a call to college students to take actions against dating violence and sexual assault.

This summer, Vice President Biden, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius launched the “Apps Against Abuse” technology challenge – a nationwide competition to develop an innovative software application (“app”) that provides young adults with tools to help prevent sexual assault and dating violence. The winners, Circle of 6 and On Watch, were announced by the Vice President on November 1^st. They will both be available free for download from HHS.gov in January 2012.
In September, the Department of Justice announced the expansion of the National Dating Violence Helpline to respond to calls, chats and texts for from teens and young adults 24-7. The Department of Justice provided funding to enable this expansion as a part of the Vice President’s call to federal agencies to better serve teens and young adults.

In July 2010, the President signed the Tribal Law and Order Act, which helps to address crime in tribal communities and places a strong emphasis on decreasing violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) provides ongoing federal leadership to reduce violence against women and administer justice for and strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
- OVW administers grant programs that work to support victims and hold perpetrators accountable through promoting a coordinated community response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
- Funding is provided to local and state and tribal governments, courts, non-profit organizations, community-based organizations, secondary schools, institutions of higher education, and state and tribal coalitions.
- These entities work toward developing more effective responses to violence against women through activities that include direct services, crisis intervention, transitional housing, legal assistance to victims, court improvement, and training for law enforcement and courts.