NEW YORK (THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION) - The United States House of Representatives passed an update to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) on Thursday (April 4) that protects transgender women, assists victims facing eviction and ends impunity for abuse of Native women on tribal lands.
The Act, originally signed into law in 1994, criminalised physical abuse against women at the federal level and provided government funding for victim services, advocate training, shelters and prevention educati