2005

On January 5, 2006, President George W. Bush signed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA 2005) into law. VAWA 2005 authorizes numerous new programs, with an increased emphasis on violence against Indian women, sexual assault, and youth victims. New programs include: Court Training and Improvements, Children Exposed to Violence, Service to Respond and Advocate on Behalf of Youth, Engaging Men and Youth, Culturally and Linguistically Specific Services, and the Sexual Assault Services Programs. VAWA 2005 continued to improve upon these laws by providing an increased focus on the access to services for underserved populations—and contained for the first time, Title IX Safety For Indian Women—which sought to improve safety and justice for American Indian and Alaska Native women.

Title IX Safety For Indian Women included provisions for:

  • Authorization for Indian law enforcement agencies to access national criminal information databases;
  • Expansion of the Firearms Possession Prohibition to include tribal law convictions;
  • Increased punishment through federal prosecutions for repeat domestic violence offenders who have at least two tribal convictions.
  • The creation of a national tribal sex offender registry and a national registry containing protection orders issued by Indian tribes;
  • Authorization for Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) officers to arrest, without a warrant, persons reasonably believed to have committed certain domestic violence offenses;
  • Annual consultation sessions between the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and tribal governments regarding distribution of tribal funds;
  • National studies to examine violence against Native American and Alaska Native women, evaluate the effectiveness of tribal, federal, state and local responses, and examine the cost of providing related health services;
  • Established a Deputy Director for Tribal Affairs within OVW; and
  • A mandate that 10% of funds allocated by the STOP (Services, Training, Officers and Prosecutors) grant program be set aside for tribal programs. An additional 10% of funding for direct services for victims of sexual violence was set aside for state, territorial and tribal coalitions.