The following legal terminology is included in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) or relevant to it and the related policy priorities.

Abuse in later life:

(A) neglect, abandonment, economic abuse, or willful harm of an adult aged 50 or older by an individual in an ongoing relationship of trust with the victim; or

(B) domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking of an adult aged 50 or older by any individual; and

Note: does not include self-neglect.

Assault of tribal justice personnel: any violation of the criminal law of the Indian tribe that has jurisdiction over the Indian country where the violation occurs that involves the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against an individual authorized to act for, or on behalf of, that Indian tribe or serving that Indian tribe during, or because of, the performance or duties of that individual in—

(A)preventing, detecting, investigating, making arrests relating to, making apprehensions for, or prosecuting a covered crime;

(B)adjudicating, participating in the adjudication of, or supporting the adjudication of a covered crime;

(C)detaining, providing supervision for, or providing services for persons charged with a covered crime; or

(D)incarcerating, supervising, providing treatment for, providing rehabilitation services for, or providing reentry services for persons convicted of a covered crime.

Child: a person who has not attained the lesser of—

(A)the age of 18; and

(B)except in the case of sexual abuse, the age specified by the criminal law of the Indian tribe that has jurisdiction over the Indian country where the violation occurs.

Child abuse and neglect: any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caregiver with intent to cause death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm to an unemancipated minor. This definition shall not be construed to mean that failure to leave an abusive relationship, in the absence of other action constituting abuse or neglect, is itself abuse or neglect.

Child maltreatment: the physical or psychological abuse or neglect of a child or youth, including sexual assault and abuse.

Child violence: the use, threatened use, or attempted use of violence against a child proscribed by the criminal law of the Indian tribe that has jurisdiction over the Indian country where the violation occurs.

Community-based organization: a nonprofit, nongovernmental, or tribal organization that serves a specific geographic community that-

(A) focuses primarily on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking;

(B) has established a specialized culturally specific program that addresses domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking;

(C) has a primary focus on underserved populations (and includes representatives of these populations) and domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking; or

(D) obtains expertise, or shows demonstrated capacity to work effectively, on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking through collaboration.

Culturally specific: primarily directed toward racial and ethnic minority groups (as defined in section 1707(g) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u–6(g).

Culturally specific services: community-based services that include culturally relevant and linguistically specific services and resources to culturally specific communities.

Dating partner: a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the abuser, and where the existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of-

(A) the length of the relationship;

(B) the type of relationship; and

(C) the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.

Dating Violence: Violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim, as determined by the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.

Note: This definition would NOT likely be interpreted to cover a single “hook-up”.

Domestic Violence: Violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner, or by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic- or family-violence laws of an Indian tribe that has jurisdiction over the Indian country where the violence occurs.

Economic abuse: in the context of domestic violence, dating violence, and abuse in later life, means behavior that is coercive, deceptive, or unreasonably controls or restrains a person's ability to acquire, use, or maintain economic resources to which they are entitled, including using coercion, fraud, or manipulation to-

(A) restrict a person's access to money, assets, credit, or financial information;

(B) unfairly use a person's personal economic resources, including money, assets, and credit, for one's own advantage; or

(C) exert undue influence over a person's financial and economic behavior or decisions, including forcing default on joint or other financial obligations, exploiting powers of attorney, guardianship, or conservatorship, or failing or neglecting to act in the best interests of a person to whom one has a fiduciary duty.

Elder abuse: any action against a person who is 50 years of age or older that constitutes the willful-

(A) infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or cruel punishment with resulting physical harm, pain, or mental anguish; or

(B) deprivation by a person, including a caregiver, of goods or services with intent to cause physical harm, mental anguish, or mental illness.

Female genital mutilation or cutting: knowingly circumcizing, excising, or infibulating the whole or any part of the labia majora or labia minora or clitoris of another person who has not attained the age of 18 years shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both. A surgical operation is not a violation of this section if the operation is—

(1) necessary to the health of the person on whom it is performed, and is performed by a person licensed in the place of its performance as a medical practitioner; or

(2) performed on a person in labor or who has just given birth and is performed for medical purposes connected with that labor or birth by a person licensed in the place it is performed as a medical practitioner, midwife, or person in training to become such a practitioner or midwife.

Forced marriage: a marriage to which 1 or both parties do not or cannot consent, and in which 1 or more elements of force, fraud, or coercion is present. Forced marriage can be both a cause and a consequence of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking.

Homeless: an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, and includes an individual who is sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason. Additional examples include individuals:

1. Living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or campground due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations are also considered homeless.

2. Living in emergency or transitional shelter.

3. Abandoned in a hospital or awaiting foster care placement

4. An individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, or migratory children.

Indian law enforcement: the departments or individuals under the direction of the Indian tribe that maintain public order.

Indian Tribe: the terms "Indian tribe" and "Indian Tribe" mean a tribe, band, pueblo, nation, or other organized group or community of Indians, including any Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation (as defined in, or established pursuant to, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.)), that is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians.

Obstruction of justice: any violation of the criminal law of the Indian tribe that has jurisdiction over the Indian country where the violation occurs that involves interfering with the administration or due process of the laws of the Indian tribe, including any Tribal criminal proceeding or investigation of a crime.

Participating tribe: an Indian tribe that elects to exercise special Tribal criminal jurisdiction over the Indian country of that Indian tribe.

Population specific organization and/or services: a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that primarily serves members of a specific underserved population and has demonstrated experience and expertise providing targeted services to members of that specific underserved population. The term "population specific services" means victim-centered services that address the safety, health, economic, legal, housing, workplace, immigration, confidentiality, or other needs of victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and that are designed primarily for and are targeted to a specific underserved population.

Protection order or restraining order: the term "protection order" or "restraining order" includes-

(A) any injunction, restraining order, or any other order issued by a civil or criminal court for the purpose of preventing violent or threatening acts or harassment against, sexual violence or contact or communication with or physical proximity to, another person, including any temporary or final orders issued by civil or criminal courts whether obtained by filing an independent action or as a pendente lite order in another proceeding so long as any civil order was issued in response to a complaint, petition, or motion filed by or on behalf of a person seeking protection; and

(B) any support, child custody or visitation provisions, orders, remedies, or relief issued as part of a protection order, restraining order, or stay away injunction pursuant to State, tribal, territorial, or local law authorizing the issuance of protection orders, restraining orders, or injunctions for the protection of victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

Rape crisis center: a nonprofit, nongovernmental, or tribal organization, or governmental entity in a State other than a Territory that provides intervention and related assistance to victims of sexual assault without regard to their age. In the case of a governmental entity, the entity may not be part of the criminal justice system (such as a law enforcement agency) and must be able to offer a comparable level of confidentiality as a nonprofit entity that provides similar victim services.

Restorative practice: a practice relating to a specific harm that-

(A) is community-based and unaffiliated with any civil or criminal legal process;

(B) is initiated by a victim of the harm;

(C) involves, on a voluntary basis and without any evidence of coercion or intimidation of any victim of the harm by any individual who committed the harm or anyone associated with any such individual-

(i) 1 or more individuals who committed the harm;

(ii) 1 or more victims of the harm; and

(iii) the community affected by the harm through 1 or more representatives of the

community;

(D) shall include and has the goal of-

(i) collectively seeking accountability from 1 or more individuals who committed the harm;

(ii) developing a written process whereby 1 or more individuals who committed the harm will take responsibility for the actions that caused harm to 1 or more victims of the harm; and

(iii) developing a written course of action plan-

(iv) that is responsive to the needs of 1 or more victims of the harm; and

(v) upon which 1 or more victims, 1 or more individuals who committed the harm, and the community can agree; and

(E) is conducted in a victim services framework that protects the safety and supports the autonomy of 1 or more victims of the harm and the community.

Sex trafficking: The term "sex trafficking" means any conduct proscribed by section 1591 of title 18, whether or not the conduct occurs in interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.

Sexual assault: any nonconsensual sexual act proscribed by Federal, tribal, or State law, including when the victim lacks capacity to consent.

Sexual violence: any nonconsensual sexual act or contact proscribed by the criminal law of the Indian tribe that has jurisdiction over the Indian country where the violation occurs, including in any case in which the victim lacks the capacity to consent to the act.

Special tribal criminal jurisdiction: the criminal jurisdiction that a participating tribe may exercise under this section but could not otherwise exercise.

Stalking: engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person proscribed by the criminal law of the Indian tribe that has jurisdiction over the Indian country where the violation occurs that would cause a reasonable person—

(A)to fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or

(B)to suffer substantial emotional distress.

Technological abuse: an act or pattern of behavior that occurs within domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence or stalking and is intended to harm, threaten, intimidate, control, stalk, harass, impersonate, exploit, extort, or monitor, except as otherwise permitted by law, another person, that occurs using any form of technology, including but not limited to: internet enabled devices, online spaces and platforms, computers, mobile devices, cameras and imaging programs, apps, location tracking devices, or communication technologies, or any other emerging technologies.

Tribal coalition: an established nonprofit, nongovernmental Indian organization, Alaska Native organization, or a Native Hawaiian organization that-

(A) provides education, support, and technical assistance to member Indian service providers, Native Hawaiian organizations, or the Native Hawaiian community in a manner that enables those member providers, organizations, or communities to establish and maintain culturally appropriate services, including shelter and rape crisis services, designed to assist Indian or Native Hawaiian women and the dependents of those women who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and

(B) is comprised of board and general members that are representative of- (i) the member service providers, organizations, or communities described in subparagraph (A); and

(ii) the tribal communities or Native Hawaiian communities in which the services are being provided.

Victim advocate: a person, whether paid or serving as a volunteer, who provides services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or dating violence under the auspices or supervision of a victim services program.

Victim assistant: a person, whether paid or serving as a volunteer, who provides services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or dating violence under the auspices or supervision of a court or a law enforcement or prosecution agency.

Victim services: services provided to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including telephonic or web-based hotlines, legal assistance and legal advocacy, economic advocacy, emergency and transitional shelter, accompaniment and advocacy through medical, civil or criminal justice, immigration, and social support systems, crisis intervention, short-term individual and group support services, information and referrals, culturally specific services, population specific services, and other related supportive services.

Youth: a person who is 11 to 24 years old.