The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is a component of the U.S. Department of Justice. OVW implements the provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and provides national leadership on the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.
The Abby Honold Program focuses on enhancing law enforcement's handling of cases related to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This includes improving initial response and investigation processes to be more trauma-informed and victim-centered, minimizing re-traumatization, and promoting effective communication between victims, law enforcement, and community stakeholders. It aims to integrate DOJ guidance principles to improve agency response, promote victim safety, and hold offenders accountable. The grant supports law enforcement agencies by funding training programs to achieve these goals and evaluates the effectiveness of such training.