Senator Hagan will visit with domestic violence survivors at Charlotte's United Family Services Battered Women's Shelter to raise awareness about the need to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (*CLOSED). Following her tour of the domestic violence shelter, Senator Hagan will hold a press avail at the United Family Services Headquarters.

Since its passage in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has transformed America's criminal justice and social service systems, helping to prevent and respond to domestic violence. The reauthorization that Senator Hagan is fighting for strengthens and streamlines crucial existing programs and incorporates new approaches to more effectively combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.

Earlier this month Senator Hagan spoke on the Senate floor to urge Congress to take action on the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011. The bill, which has been held up by political posturing, was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in February. The reauthorization includes Hagan's Violence Against Women Health Initiative, intended to raise awareness of domestic violence among health care providers, allowing them to better assess and treat survivors of domestic violence.

Nearly one in four women in the US has reported experiencing domestic violence at some point in her life. In 2007, there were 248,300 reported incidents of sexual assault in the United States. Young women experience the highest rates of sexual assault and stalking. And sadly, 15.5 million children in the United States live in families in which partner violence has occurred in the past year, with seven million children in families in which severe partner violence has occurred.

Domestic violence has a significant impact on our country's health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), intimate partner violence costs the health care system over $8.3 billion annually.