VAWA is a federal law that was first passed in 1994. It was created to improve the criminal justice response to violence against women and provide federal grants to states to increase services for domestic and sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence victims. VAWA was reauthorized in 2000, 2005, and 2013. Each reauthorization has included additional focus areas to enhance and strengthen services in specific communities or populations such a tribal lands, colleges and universities, persons with disabilities, immigrants, and rural areas. The Office on Violence Against Women was created to administer the various grant programs contained in VAWA. For more information, please see fact sheet: https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/ovw/legacy/2011/07/08/about-ovw-factsheet.pdf