This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the National Task Force recommits to lifting the voices of survivors, honoring their courage, and strengthening the services and supports that make safety possible. Domestic violence is not a private matter—it is a violent assault that devastates lives, families, and entire communities.
This month, and every month, we honor the resilience of survivors and the advocates who work with them every step of the way. The tactics used to perpetrate abuse, maintain power and control, and dismiss violence in relationships can be either supported or confronted by the attitudes, policies, and actions we commit to as individuals, in our institutions, and as a society. We aim to build communities where violence is neither excused nor ignored, but met with accountability and hope.
Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of power and control where one person uses physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, economic, or other forms of abuse to dominate another. It thrives in silence and impacts people across every background. Nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men in the United States will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime. Children living in homes where abuse occurs are more likely to experience harm themselves, and the trauma can last a lifetime.
All survivors have a right to confidential and trauma-informed services that help them achieve safety and justice. This requires honoring their lived experiences and ensuring services are responsive to their needs. When communities are vilified and protections for immigrants, LGBTQ people, and other underserved or marginalized groups are rolled back, the message sent to abusers is that violence will be excused and ignored. We categorically reject that message. Ending domestic violence requires confronting systemic inequities such as poverty, discrimination, racism, transphobia, misogyny, and xenophobia that fuel abuse and keep survivors from accessing justice.
While urgent services and strong enforcement remain critical, response alone will never end domestic violence. We must also invest in prevention: approaches that address root causes, promote healthy relationships, and stop violence before it starts. Domestic violence devastates lives, but healing is possible, and abuse does not have to be inevitable. By sustaining services, strengthening prevention, and centering survivors, we can build communities where violence is never minimized or excused, but met with accountability, compassion, and hope.