Violence Against Women
The American Dream. What a beautiful concept. And I hope you can pursue your American Dream. To achieve the American Dream, however, each American must feel safe in their life, relationships, and everyday encounters. Safety is essential. It is a critical component of our nation’s success, and we must continue to invest in safer communities. And yet, while you read these thoughts, violence against women remains a global public health crisis and human rights violation.
I want you to stop and think for a moment. Is there someone in your life—perhaps even yourself—who has been a victim of violence? Perhaps you have a family member, loved one, friend, or colleague who has been the target of violence. And we, as a country, must do better. In order to properly address violence against women, the United States must fully fund the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”) and the Victims of Crime Act (“VOCA”) to eliminate the thousands of unmet daily requests for help and provide the housing, legal assistance, and mental health resources necessary for survivors to thrive; to help survivors achieve their American Dream.
Violence Against Women
Safety is the foundation for opportunity. It sounds simple, but when you really sit with it, you realize that everything we need, want, or value depends on it. This is especially true for women. When women feel safe in their homes, workplaces, and communities, they can pursue education, build careers, raise families, and fully participate in life. For millions of women around the world, however, this foundation is not guaranteed. Violence against women and girls is a persistent global crisis, a major public health problem, and a fundamental violation of basic human rights. In 1939, Congress declared October to be Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which was followed by a decades-long campaign to frame intimate partner violence as a national public health and safety issue, not a private family matter. This work led to the passage of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 and created a dedicated fund to support domestic violence shelters and crisis help organizations.
A Snapshot of the Crisis
Violence against women occurs in every country and in every society. To understand what this looks like in the U.S., we can look at a single 24-hour period: September 4, 2024. On that day, nearly 80,000 people found refuge in shelters or received legal and medical support. The problem is real, and there is work being done to help victims, but it is not enough. On that same day, 14,095 requests for help went unmet. That means over 14,000 times, someone reached out for safety and the system had to say, “we don’t have the room” or “we don’t have the staff.” This means that nearly 15% of women, who were facing violence or the threat of violence, were turned away that day.
Barriers Survivors Face
Abusive relationships are some of the toughest situations to leave, and the data shows this is often due to a lack of basic resources. The housing crisis. The rural divide. The loss of essential services. The National Network to End Domestic Violence found 60% of unmet requests were for housing, leaving thousands of women and children without a safe place to sleep.2 Because of this, many survivors are forced to choose between their abuser and homelessness. And for women in rural areas, they have a much harder time accessing any kind of support because they are much farther away, and some don’t have transportation. This is further compounded by budget cuts, which sometimes eliminate services in entire counties, leaving communities without resources to assist them. But these budget cuts don’t just hurt our rural friends; in the last year alone, hundreds of programs that support survivors were forced to cut services such as direct cash assistance, therapy and counseling for both adults and children, legal representation, transportation, and childcare.
While Congress gleefully doles out tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, the rest of us are left to fend for ourselves. We deserve better—you deserve better.
A Public Health Problem
Violence against women is not a private matter; it is a community-wide health crisis. Globally, 1 in every 3 women experiences physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. That is roughly 840 million women. And experts say this is an undercount, since many women may not report it. There are long-term health consequences to this. Survivors face a higher risk of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, and are more likely to attempt suicide. When we ignore this stark reality, we are failing women. By investing in domestic violence services, policies, clinical guidelines, and identifying at-risk groups early, we can get ahead of the problem. Violence rarely occurs suddenly and without warning; it escalates over time. Instead of ignoring the problem, we must invest and plant a seed of security.
The Funding Issue
The Victims of Crime Act is funded by federal fines, not taxes. Over the years, Congress has continued to slash its funding. And since 2018, VOCA funding has steadily decreased, with states seeing cuts of over half of prior funding levels. When we cut funding for lifesaving services possible through VOCA and VAWA, the number of victims increases. Then the pattern continues, and the cycle continues, because those providing support cannot do more with less funding. It is time that domestic violence services are prioritized and properly funded.
The Path Forward
To build a safer America, we must start by fixing the safety net that is currently failing millions of women every single day. We must fully fund VAWA and VOCA, so programs are not forced to turn survivors away. We must ensure that healthcare providers are trained and have the resources to identify at-risk groups early and provide trauma-informed care. We must hold officers accountable to treat violence against women with just as much urgency as they would any other crime. We must advocate out loud for survivors because too many suffer in silence. And as the man my mama raised me to be, I believe one of the best things men can do is act as models of zero tolerance, stand with survivors, believe survivors, and support survivors.
We must look at this issue with a microscope to understand how we can best help. For example, comprehensive studies conducted by organizations like The National Network to End Domestic Violence can help examine who is using services, when they use them, for what type of violence, who was the aggressor, what kind of treatment they received, and whether they return. Knowing and tracking this information makes it easier for experts to strategize, find solutions, and provide the best care and services. As a member of Congress, I will happily sponsor and support efforts that advance work like this because we must help health services better document cases of violence, so that we can ensure services are targeting the right people and offering the best solutions.
Why does this matter?
It is simple. Because safety is the starting point for every American Dream. When we protect women, we strengthen the very foundation of our nation and create a world where women can thrive and not just survive.
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Mel Leonor Barclay & Jasmine Mithani, Without the federal government, almost no money exists to fight domestic violence. The 19th (2025), https://19thnews.org/2025/10/domestic-violence-protections-federal-funding/ (last visited Mar 12, 2026). National summary 19th Annual national summary domestic violence counts report, link (last visited Mar 12, 2026). Lifetime toll: 840 million women faced partner or sexual violence, World Health Organization (2025), https://www.who.int/news/item/19-11-2025-lifetime-toll--840-million-women-faced-partner-or-sexual-violence. Violence against women, World Health Organization (2024), https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women (last visited Mar 12, 2026). 