Every day, survivors and advocates together lead the movement to end domestic violence. Survivors show extraordinary courage as they navigate impossible choices, seek safety for themselves and their families, and speak out to change systems that have too often failed them. Advocates, service providers, and community-based organizations work alongside them with compassion and determination–answering hotlines around the clock, providing shelter, offering legal support, and supporting survivors as they rebuild their lives. This shared resilience and leadership are heroic, and they save lives. As a nation, we owe not only our gratitude, but also a sustained federal investment that supports and expands the collective efforts of survivors, advocates, and communities working for safety and justice.
Yet we are facing growing threats to these critical resources:
VAWA (Violence Against Women Act), enacted more than 30 years ago, has transformed the nation’s response to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. But proposals to eliminate or weaken the office responsible for administering VAWA would erase decades of progress and put survivors at risk. Congress and the Administration must preserve the Office on Violence Against Women as an independent component of the Department of Justice.
FVPSA (Family Violence Prevention and Services Act), for 41 years, has been the only federal funding stream dedicated solely to domestic violence shelters and services. Yet shifts in priorities at HHS have put access to services in jeopardy. Congress must fully fund FVPSA and ensure that all communities can access these essential resources.
VOCA (Victims of Crime Act), passed in 1984, has long provided lifesaving support for more than six million victims annually through nearly 6,500 direct service organizations, including domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and child advocacy programs. Today, VOCA is in crisis: funding has declined repeatedly, survivors are losing access to emergency assistance, and the DOJ has tied VOCA funds to immigration enforcement—penalizing states that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Congress must pass the Crime Victim Fund Stabilization Act and we must ensure there are sufficient deposits into the Crime Victims Fund.
The tactics used to perpetrate abuse, maintain power and control, and dismiss violence in relationships can be either supported or confronted by the policies, funding, and actions we commit to in our institutions and as a society. Therefore, this Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we honor the survivors and first responders whose lives are most at risk, and we call on Congress to fully fund VAWA, FVPSA, and VOCA. These investments are essential public safety measures -protecting families, strengthening communities, and saving lives.