U S Department of Justice Office on Vio

Sexual Violence in the United States: Roundtable Proceedings U S Department of Justice Office on Vio

Publisher Marketing: One in six women and one in 33 men will be sexually assaulted during the course of their lifetime. However incidents of sexual violence remain the most underreported crimes in the United States, and survivors who disclose their victimization-whether to law enforcement or to family and friends-often encounter more adversity than support. The effects of sexual violence on victims and communities are profound. Survivors of sexual violence are at a higher risk for a number of physical and mental health problems and other adverse life events, including revictimization. Furthermore, with so few offenders held accountable for their actions, sexual violence amounts to a serious criminal justice crisis. Congress acknowledged the pervasiveness of violence against women and the need to address these crimes when it enacted the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1994 and reauthorized the law in 2000 and 2005. VAWA is a multifaceted effort to respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other forms of violence against women. VAWA changed the legal landscape, creating new criminal and civil enforcement tools for holding perpetrators accountable and for offering victims access to safety and justice.