In the United States, the Violence Against Women Act (1994), and its reauthorizations, provides a significant source of funding for non-governmental organizations working on violence against women. It is important that any budgetary allocation be based on a full analysis of funding required to implement all measures contained in the legislation. When public officials involved in the implementation of the law are not comprehensively trained regarding its content, there is a risk that the law will not be implemented effectively or uniformly.