National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2016

Proclamation 9510 of September 30, 2016

National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

The physical and emotional scars of domestic violence
can cast a long shadow. Too many individuals,
regardless of age, ability, sex, sexual orientation,
gender identity, circumstance, or race, face the pain
and fear of domestic violence. During National Domestic
Violence Awareness Month, we shine a light on this
violation of the basic human right to be free from
violence and abuse, pledge to ensure every victim of
domestic violence knows they are not alone, and foster
supportive communities that help survivors seek justice
and enjoy full and healthy lives.

Over the past two decades, rates of domestic violence
against females have dropped by nearly three-quarters--
but there is still much work to do to build on the
progress we have made. Nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7
men have suffered from domestic violence by an intimate
partner. All people deserve to feel safe with loved
ones, and my Administration is committed to eliminating
this scourge and supporting survivors' healing--and we
must ensure that survivors and their families have
access to the resources, care, and support they need to
do so.

My Administration is dedicated to ensuring that all
people feel safe in all aspects of their lives, which
is why I proposed significant funding for responding to
domestic violence in my most recent budget proposal. We
have also championed legislative action like the Family
Violence Prevention and Services Act, and the
Affordable Care Act--which ensures that most health
plans cover domestic violence screening and counseling
services at no additional cost. And the Violence
Against Women Act, which was reauthorized in 2013, has
enhanced and expanded protections to Native Americans,
immigrants, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
individuals, and victims who reside in public housing.

This is progress we must continue to invest in and
carry forward. Earlier this year, I announced a series
of commonsense steps my Administration is taking to
reduce gun violence, including work to renew our
domestic violence outreach efforts. Building on the
work of our Police Data Initiative, the White House is
promoting smart approaches to collecting data on
domestic violence offenses that balance transparency
and accountability with victim safety and privacy. And
victim safety should also be a priority in the
workplace--a truth that extends to the Federal
Government. That is why I directed all Federal agencies
to adopt domestic violence workplace policies and
encouraged employers to do the same.

Our agencies have taken many critical actions to
advance this cause. For example, the Department of
Justice has invested millions of dollars in new
initiatives to prevent domestic violence homicides,
urge law enforcement agencies to identify and prevent
gender bias when responding to domestic violence and
sexual assault, and expand services to underserved
victims. And the Department of Housing and Urban
Development recently issued guidance to prevent housing
discrimination against survivors of domestic violence.

Vice President Joe Biden's leadership has helped guide
our progress and worked to change our national
culture--which too often tolerates and condones
domestic violence. We are challenging harmful
stereotypes associated with victims of domestic
violence and striving to bring the practice of victim-
blaming to an end. We must continue to recognize
survivors who experience disproportionate rates of
domestic violence, and who have been placed at the
margins for generations, including women of color,
Native Americans, individuals with disabilities,
members of the LGBT community, immigrants, and older
adults. Along these lines, we also joined with Canada
and Mexico to create the North American Working Group
on Violence against Indigenous Women and Girls, working
together to enhance responses to violent crimes against
indigenous women and girls in North America.

Our Nation's character is tested whenever this
injustice is tolerated. When anyone is targeted by
someone they place their trust in, we have a
responsibility to speak up. We all have a role to play
in building a bright and safe future for each other and
for future generations. This month, we recommit to
standing with survivors of domestic violence and to
doing our utmost to extend hope and healing to all who
need it. If you or someone you know needs assistance, I
encourage you to reach out to the National Domestic
Violence Hotline, which recently engaged in its 4
millionth conversation with victims and survivors of
domestic violence, by calling 1-800-799-SAFE, or
visiting www.TheHotline.org.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 2016 as
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I call on
all Americans to speak out against domestic violence
and support local efforts to assist victims of these
crimes in finding the help and healing they need.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord two
thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and forty-first.