We Can Build a Society Where Everyone is Safe and Secure
By Esta Soler
October 1, 2026
Domestic Violence Awareness Month is an important time to educate the public about the causes and consequences of our epidemic of domestic violence, which takes a toll on everyone in this country.
For those of us who work each day to stop this violence, who see up close its immediate and long-term harm, it’s a time to take stock, recognize our accomplishments, refine our strategies, engage new allies, and make a powerful case for the resources that will make a real difference.
This work has never been easy.
Proud History
In the 1980s, a small, determined group of us pounded the halls of Congress, making the case that domestic and family violence were a national problem that required a federal response. It was difficult and painful. We were ignored, diminished, and insulted. I’ll never forget a lawmaker accusing us of “trying to take the fun out of marriage.”
But we persevered and in 1984, the Family Violence Prevention & Services Act became law. To this day, it remains one of the primary federal funding streams supporting domestic violence shelters and services, with an appropriation that rose from $6 million in FY85 to $245 million now.
THAT’S NOT ENOUGH.
In addition to a robust crisis response network, our country urgently needs a more holistic approach that prioritizes the physical and emotional health and well-being of children and gives every family a real opportunity to thrive. That will require sufficient public investments that address the problems facing women, children and families before they become crises, before women and children are getting hurt.
Build a New Society
We can do that by building a new kind of society for the next generation, one where everyone is safe and economically secure, no child is traumatized or hungry, and every family has a real chance to succeed.
That means prioritizing early childhood supports, including child care; making health care available to all; ensuring nobody goes hungry or homeless; investing in doulas, midwives, and community health workers to reverse our maternal health crisis; and engaging dads, including by expanding pathways to change the behaviors of fathers who cause harm.
It means leaving nobody behind, no matter their income, family structure, or if their community is rural or urban.
The simple truth is that, if we in this movement keep doing the same thing, the outcome will be the same: We’ll spend our careers scrounging for more resources to address crises that could have been averted.
Aim High!
So, let’s aim even higher this Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Let’s shake things up.
The work we do is hard, the services we provide essential. But let’s figure out how to be even more strategic – to also tell our stories, discuss our impact, and share our vision and the hope that comes with knowing progress is possible. We are changemakers! Let’s engage the next generation, harness their energy, and remind them of the promise before us – that a healthier society is truly within reach.
I’m deeply honored to work with all of you in this movement. I have so much respect for what you do every day. And I know that, if we refuse to settle for incremental change and instead demand meaningful investments and reforms, we will finally make our families and our country safer, stronger, and more prosperous.
Together, we can change the world – because we’ve done it before. So, let’s get started!
