The Violence Against Women Act Protects Against Domestic Abuse

 Women have suffered domestic abuse for centuries.  In 1994, the office of then Senator Joseph Biden finally decided to help put an end to overlooking these sometimes dire situations.  His office drafted the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) which President Bill Clinton signed into law that same year.  It became a federal law which provided government funds to provide safe housing for women and children to go to so they wouldn’t have to endure the continued abuse they were experiencing in the home.  It also funds essential services, such as counseling, financial guidance and hotlines for women to turn to for confidential help. 

This program was instituted with the idea in mind that if a woman is being battered by her husband or boyfriend in the home, she could leave the premises with her children and have a safe place to go for shelter.  The batterers would not be able to track or find their spouses as the location of the shelter is kept secret and may change frequently.  Once out of the dysfunctional situation, women and children have opportunities for counseling, job-training and education to help give confidence to the victims to move beyond the abuse and start a new, fresh life on their own.  

The VAWA act specifies strict punishments for those accused of violent crimes against women.   These new domestic violence laws allowed officials to pursue domestic violence offenders more aggressively in the hopes of changing the abuser’s behavior because of the possibility of arrest.  Specifically, the risk of incurring a lengthy incarceration, fines and more, would temper the temptation to attack a spouse.  Depending on the extent of the abuse, domestic assault is considered a misdemeanor or felony offense and once convicted, will be on the abuser’s permanent record.

Judicial systems throughout the country have found that along with jail time and fines, an understanding of the crimes is necessary for the abuser to have any sort of retribution for his actions.  Therefore, part of the court punishment will include a mandate to take domestic violence classes.  The purpose of the class is to educate the participant about issues related to domestic assault of women and children and to ultimately reduce violence as well as create the safest possible family environment.  Perpetrators will learn about what constitutes domestic violence and what they can do the stop it.  They will learn empathy and stress management to control their angers. 

Before signing up for a class that the perpetrator must attend in a classroom, check with your court or probation officer to see if they will accept an online domestic violence class to fulfill the court mandate.  Online classes can be taken from any internet based computer in the comfort of your own home.  They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so they won’t interfere with a job schedule.  They are discreet and anonymous way of learning the information in a relaxed environment.  The individual can log in and out of the class at his convenience and the computer program will hold the spot for the next time.  Upon successful completion of the final exam, a certificate of completion will be issued to the enrollee to prove the court that the class was taken.   This is definitely the most convenient way to take a domestic violence program.