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GAO-07-846R 1 (2007-07-19)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptavkm0001 and id is 1 raw text is: SGAO Accountability * Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 July 19, 2007 Congressional Committees Subject: Services Provided to Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, and Stalking Historically, domestic violence, sexual assaults, and stalking incidents have often been ignored by society and treated as private family matters. However, in 1984, Congress passed and the President signed the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) to, among other things, help prevent domestic violence and provide shelter and related assistance for victims.' Grants funded under the act are administered by the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Administration for Children and Families and are available to states, Indian tribal governments and organizations, state domestic violence coalitions, and public and private nonprofit entities. In response to continued concerns about domestic violence as well as sexual assault and stalking incidents, Congress passed and the President signed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1994.2 VAWA created new federal criminal laws and established additional grant programs within HHS and the Department of Justice (DOJ) for state, local, and Indian tribal governments and nonprofit organizations. These grant programs have various purposes, such as providing funding for direct services including emergency shelter, counseling, and legal services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assaults, and stalking across all segments of the population. Recipients of funds from these grant programs include, among others, state agencies, tribes, shelters, rape crisis centers, organizations that provide legal services, and hotlines. In 2000, during the reauthorization of VAWA, language was added to the law to provide greater emphasis on dating violence. The 2006 reauthorization of VAWA expanded existing grant programs and added new programs addressing, among other things, young victims, the housing and economic needs of victims, and the health care system's response to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. In addition to being eligible to receive an array of services through VAWA-funded grant programs, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking are also eligible to receive services through grants awarded in accordance with the Victims of Crime Act, which are 'Pub. L. No. 98-457, tit. III, 98 Stat. 1749, 1771-80 (1984). 'Pub. L. No. 103-322 §§ 40001-703, 108 Stat. 1796, 1902-55 (1994). 3Pub. L. No. 109-162, tits. I-VII, IX, 119 Stat. 2960, 2972-3053, 3077-84 (2006). GAO-07-846R Domestic Violence Services

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