by Susan Eaton

In 1994, Legislation was passed which paved the way for the Violence Against Women Act. This Legislation provided $1.6 billion to enhance investigation and prosecution of the violent crimes perpetrated against women. However, the heinous crimes against women continue to increase each year. Preliminary results for the first half of 2006 revealed that there was a 3.7 percent increase in all violent crimes compared to the first half of 2005.