[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 123, 111th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8416--SEPT. 14, 2009

Proclamation 8416 of September 14, 2009
Fifteenth Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Today, we commemorate a milestone in our Nation's struggle to end
violence against women. Authored by then United States Senator Joe Biden
and signed into law in September 1994, the Violence Against Women Act
(VAWA) was the first law to create a comprehensive response to this
problem at the national level. This landmark achievement has helped our
Nation make great strides towards addressing this global epidemic.
VAWA sought to improve our criminal justice system's response to
violence against women and to increase services available to victims. It
directed all 50 States to recognize and enforce protection orders issued
by other jurisdictions, and it created new Federal domestic violence
crimes. The law also authorized hundreds of millions of dollars to
communities and created a national domestic violence hotline.
This bipartisan accomplishment has ushered in a new era of
responsibility in the fight to end violence against women. In the 15
years since VAWA became law, our Nation's response to domestic violence,
dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking has strengthened.
Communities recognize the special needs of victims and appreciate the
benefits of collaboration among professionals in the civil and criminal
justice system, victim advocates, and other service providers. With the
support of VAWA funds, dedicated units of law enforcement officers and
specialized prosecutors have grown more numerous than ever before. Most
importantly, victims are more likely to have a place to turn for help-
for emergency shelter and crisis services, and also for legal
assistance, transitional housing, and services for their children.
Despite this great progress, our Nation's work remains unfinished. More
families and communities must recognize that the safety of our children
relates directly to the safety of our mothers. Access to sexual assault
services, especially in rural America, must be increased. American
Indian and Alaska Native women experience the highest rates of violence,
and we must make it a priority to address this urgent problem. We must
also work with diverse communities to make sure the response to violence
is relevant and culturally appropriate. We must prevent the homicide of
women and girls who have suffered from domestic violence, dating
violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Far too many women in our communities and neighborhoods, and across the
world, continue to suffer from violence. Inspired by the

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promise and achievement of the Violence Against Women Act, our Nation
stands united in its determination to end these crimes and help those in
need.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim the Fifteenth Anniversary
of the Violence Against Women Act. I call upon men and women of all
ages, communities, organizations, and all levels of government, to work
in collaboration to end violence against women.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of
September, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
fourth.
BARACK OBAMA