Amata Welcomes $685,000 To Combat Violence Against Women

Press Release

Wednesday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata is welcoming the announcement of over $685,000 in federal funds for American Samoa's efforts to combat violence against women. These federal funds are from two grant programs administered by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) of the US Justice Department.

The first grant of $616,964 is from the STOP program (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors), which provides funds to states and territories to improve how their justice systems, including police officers, prosecutors, and the courts, support the victims of violent crimes against women.

The second grant of $68,933 is from the Sexual Assault Services Formula Program. It provides federal supplemental funding to rape crisis centers and non-profit, non-governmental organizations that provide services and assistance to victims of sexual assault.

"I welcome these much-needed funds for our territory's efforts to eradicate violence against women," Amata said. "We cannot allow violence against women in our community, and we must stand together in rejecting such actions. It is no secret that our society has struggled with this issue, and these funds are a helpful step for our community's continuing efforts."

"I congratulate Governor Lemanu, Lieutenant Governor Talauega and the hardworking people of ASG for their efforts to secure this funding. I also thank Attorney General Merrick Garland and OVW Director Allison Randall for recognizing our Territory's work on this issue."

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