Presidential Document2023-22239
National Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, 2023
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 4, 2023
Signed
September 29, 2023
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 191 (Wednesday, October 4, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 191 (Wednesday, October 4, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 68433-68434]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22239]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 4, 2023 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 68433]]
Proclamation 10638 of September 29, 2023
National Domestic Violence Awareness and
Prevention Month, 2023
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Domestic violence touches every community in this
Nation. Americans of every race, religion, and
background are affected; its consequences transcend
generations, impacting children and reshaping whole
families. During National Domestic Violence Awareness
and Prevention Month, we stand with the tens of
millions of people who have experienced intimate
partner violence, and we thank the first responders,
service providers, and community members who work to
make sure that every American can live in safety, with
dignity and respect.
I was always taught there is no worse sin than the
abuse of power, especially when that abuse is directed
toward a partner. But just decades ago, much of our
Nation wanted to keep the issue of domestic violence in
the shadows. Survivors sat in shame, and society often
looked away from what people too often dismissed as a
``family affair.''
I have spent more than 30 years of my life working to
change that--to end gender-based violence in the United
States and around the world. I wrote the original
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1990, which made
strides toward shifting the legal and social burdens
away from survivors, holding offenders accountable, and
addressing gendered violence as a shared priority with
a determined and coordinated response. That law
introduced our Nation to countless brave survivors,
whose stories changed the way America saw this issue.
It created the National Domestic Violence Hotline to
provide confidential support nationwide. It supported
shelters, rape crisis centers, housing, and legal
assistance, creating life-saving options for survivors
and their children. And it helped to train police,
advocates, prosecutors, and judges to make our justice
system more responsive to survivors. It saved lives and
helped survivors rebuild.
Since then, every time we have reauthorized VAWA, we
have improved it--broadening its scope to include
stalking and sexual assault in 2000, expanding access
to services for immigrants and communities of color in
2005, and recognizing criminal jurisdiction of Tribal
courts over non-Indian perpetrators and protections for
LGBTQI+ individuals in 2013. And last year, we
reauthorized VAWA again and strengthened access to
services for survivors from underserved and
marginalized communities, expanded special Tribal
criminal jurisdiction with support for Native
communities, and recognized the need to combat
cybercrimes and address online harassment and abuse. We
brought the Federal Government's investment in life-
saving gender-based violence programs to $700 million
this year alone--the highest funding level in history--
and to $1 billion in next year's budget.
Last year, I also signed the most significant gun
safety law we have had in nearly 30 years, which keeps
firearms out of the hands of convicted domestic
abusers. Another law I signed ensures we continue to
sustain the Crime Victims Fund to help domestic
violence survivors cover abuse-related costs like
medical bills, lost wages, and temporary housing. And
further, I signed a law empowering survivors of
workplace sexual assault
[[Page 68434]]
and sexual harassment to take their cases to court. We
fundamentally transformed how the military prosecutes
sexual assault and domestic violence within its ranks,
shifting to specialized prosecutors independent from
commanders. We have established a civil cause of action
for anyone who has had their intimate photos shared
without their consent, and we are working to prevent
the spread of deepfake non-consensual images too. And
last May, we released the first-ever National Plan to
End Gender-Based Violence, laying out a Government-wide
plan to prevent and address sexual violence, intimate
partner violence, stalking, and other forms of gender-
based violence.
Despite all this progress, we have more to do. Four in
10 American women and nearly 3 in 10 American men are
still impacted by sexual abuse, physical violence, or
stalking by an intimate partner at some point in their
lifetimes. If you or someone you know needs help today,
immediate and confidential support is available 24/7
through the National Domestic Violence Hotline by
visiting <a href="http://thehotline.org">thehotline.org</a>, call 1-800-799-7233 (TTY 1-
800-787-3224), or text ``START'' to 88788.
Every survivor should know that they are not alone and
they deserve better. Together, we will keep spreading
awareness, changing culture, supporting survivors, and
moving toward a world free of gender-based violence.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2023
as National Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention
Month. I call upon each of us to change the social
norms that permit domestic violence, provide meaningful
support to survivors, and express gratitude to those
working diligently on prevention and response efforts.
Together, we can transform the country and build a
Nation where all people live free from violence.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord
two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
eighth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2023-22239
Filed 10-3-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 4, 2023.
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