VAWA Needs a Serious Overhaul

Article here. Excerpt:

'For starters, the programs operated under VAWA have never undergone scientifically rigorous evaluations to ensure that they are achieving their intended results.

Furthermore, because VAWA was initially established on the premise that violence is caused by institutionalized sexism and patriarchal beliefs, the law has allocated financial and legal resources primarily to female victims, while ignoring the complex nature of violence and its causes. Consequently, very little of VAWA's funds are used to address proven causes of violence, such as substance abuse, emotional and psychological disorders and marital instability. The National Research Council reported that many of VAWA's programs are "driven by ideology and stake holder interests rather than by plausible theories and scientific evidence of fact."'