On Thursday, February 28, 2013, the House passed the Senate version of
the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) with broad support. This bill was
passed a few weeks earlier by the Senate, also with broad support. These
votes greatly contrast last year’s discussions, in which Republicans
and Democrats could not come to an agreement regarding VAWA.
The newly passed VAWA creates and expands federal programs to assist
local communities and aid victims of domestic and sexual abuse. The bill
provides support for children of deceased self-petitioners as well as
extends protection under the U Visa category for children who age out
while waiting for applications to be processed. The bill also provides
training for law enforcement officials on the U and T visa categories,
both of which provide protection for immigrant survivors of crimes and
human trafficking.
The bill will now be sent to the President to be signed into law.
