This is historical material “frozen in time”. The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.

Each October, we recognize Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month and reflect on the progress we have made in addressing domestic violence as well as the work ahead to prevent and end gender-based violence once and for all. This October, the Biden-Harris Administration is also marking the 40th anniversaries of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) and the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA)—two critical laws that have been an essential lifeline for survivors of gender-based violence since 1984.

Working to end gender-based violence has been a cornerstone of President Biden and Vice President Harris’s careers. Just last month, the White House commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), landmark legislation that President Biden wrote and championed as a U.S. Senator and has worked across the aisle to strengthen ever since. VAWA transformed our nation’s response to gender-based violence by recognizing that domestic violence and sexual assault are not a private matter but rather a violation of fundamental rights and dignity. Between 1993 and 2022, domestic violence rates dropped by 67% and the rate of rapes and sexual assaults declined by 56%.

Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken action to support survivors of gender-based violence, including domestic violence. These actions include:

  • Providing shelter and support services to more than 1.3 million survivors of domestic violence each year through FVPSA grant programs. Since 1984, FVPSA has funded emergency shelters and other vital services and assistance for domestic violence survivors and their children. FVPSA funding provides services, shelter, and support to 1.3 million survivors; reaches over 1,500 local domestic violence shelters and programs; supports over 240 tribes and tribal organizations to address and prevent domestic violence; and provides for a network of state coalitions and national technical assistance providers. Recognizing the importance of these services, the President’s American Rescue Plan invested nearly $1 billion in supplemental funding for domestic violence and sexual assault services and supports through FVPSA programs. And the Biden-Harris Administration established the new Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services (OFVPS) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to strengthen HHS’s response to domestic violence. The Administration continues to urge Congress to pass the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act in order to strengthen FVPSA and expand investments in critical prevention and response services, particularly for Tribal and other underserved communities.
  • Signing the VOCA Fix Act to support local programs and services for survivors. VOCA funds local programs that provide mental health, housing, legal assistance, victim advocacy, crisis intervention, and other services to help victims of gender-based violence and other crimes—including 7.9 million individuals in FY 2023 alone. In 2021, President Biden signed into law the VOCA Fix Act, which has provided more than $1.4 billion for the Crime Victims Fund to support local programs and services for survivors. As we mark the 40th anniversary of VOCA, we have invested more than $38 billion dollars in local programs to help victims of gender-based violence and other crimes since 1984.
  • Ensuring that disaster relief efforts address the needs of gender-based violence survivors. The risk of gender-based violence, including domestic violence and human trafficking, is heightened during emergencies. Given the importance of ensuring that response efforts meet the needs of survivors of gender-based violence, the Biden-Harris Administration’s first-ever U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence—a comprehensive, government-wide plan to prevent and address sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and other forms of gender-based violence—includes a pillar on emergency preparedness and crisis response. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented a Department-wide policy on preventing and addressing gender-based violence through a victim-centered approach and shares information and resources on gender-based violence through the DHS Council on Combating Gender-Based Violence. Further, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Advisory Council established a Gender-Based Violence Subcommittee. The primary goals of the subcommittee are to advise FEMA’s awareness, protection, and prevention efforts and implement a victim-centered and trauma-informed approach to address gender-based violence in disasters. The Administration takes several actions before, during, and after disasters to meet the needs of survivors of gender-based violence. This includes:
    • Training FEMA staff, disaster responders, and other emergency management staff on the unique needs of survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking;
    • Distributing resources and information to help state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and emergency responders better support survivors of gender-based violence;
    • Ensuring that FVPSA grantees and service providers know they can use American Rescue Plan and other supplemental funds to support emergency preparedness, response, and recovery efforts;
    • Developing and disseminating technical assistance, best practices, and lessons learned on disaster preparedness and response efforts for gender-based violence service providers through a Department of Justice-supported national technical assistance center;
    • Offering crisis counseling to survivors of gender-based violence and others experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters through the Disaster Distress Helpline; and
    • Promoting access to support and resources for survivors through the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362, a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center, or disasterassistance.gov.
  • Renewing and strengthening VAWA to protect gender-based violence survivors. In 2022, President Biden signed into law the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022, critical legislation that expands access to safety and support for survivors, increases prevention efforts, and establishes new federal protections against online harassment and abuse. The Administration significantly increased funding for VAWA programs—by over 35 percent—since 2021. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of VAWA in September 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration announced new actions, including more than $690 million from the Department of Justice in FY 2024 grant funding to support survivors, a new interagency statement affirming VAWA’s housing protections for survivors, and new resources and private sector commitments to fight online harassment and abuse. 
  • Narrowing the “boyfriend loophole” and strengthening protections for domestic violence survivors at risk of gun violence. President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun safety law in decades, which narrowed the “boyfriend loophole.” The law prohibits persons convicted of misdemeanor crimes in dating relationships from purchasing or possessing firearms for at least five years. To implement the National Instant Criminal Background Check System Denial Notification Act—which was included in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022—the Federal Bureau of Investigation is actively reporting denied transactions of attempted firearm transfers to appropriate state, local, and Tribal law enforcement within 24 hours. These reports are helping law enforcement investigate and prosecute cases against individuals legally prohibited from receiving firearms who try to do so, including domestic abusers.
  • Implementing historic military justice reforms and supporting survivors. The President signed into law historic and bipartisan reforms that fundamentally changed how the military investigates and prosecutes sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, and related offenses by transferring prosecutorial decisions from commanders to independent military prosecutors and establishing the Offices of Special Trial Counsel. The Department of Defense has also improved its response to sexual assault by removing barriers for those seeking help and by professionalizing the survivor response workforce. And the Department made record investments in sexual assault prevention and survivor support, more than doubling annual funding from $500 million to more than $1 billion in 2024 for these critical services.
  • Supporting survivors in accessing housing, homeless assistance, and community services. The Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $57 million in Domestic Violence Bonus projects serving survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking in February 2024, with another $52 million expected to be awarded in 2025. The Department also directed Homeless Continuum of Care recipients to offer services to people experiencing trauma or a lack of safety related to gender-based violence, and Community Development Block Grant grantees used federal funds to offer crisis intervention, crisis hotline, counseling, emergency shelter and housing assistance, legal assistance, and other community services to survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their families.
  • Helping protect survivor privacy and economic security. President Biden signed several new laws to help survivors protect and maintain their privacy and enhance their access to funds and tools like a phone line. The Safe Connections Act allows a survivor of domestic abuse to separate a mobile phone line from an account shared with an abuser. The Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act allows survivors of domestic violence and others who have faced economic abuse to sever joint student loan debt. And the SECURE 2.0 Act allows survivors of domestic abuse to elect to receive penalty-free distributions from an employer-sponsored retirement plan.
  • Preventing domestic violence and supporting children and families. The Biden-Harris Administration has invested in prevention to help stop violence before it starts. HHS recently announced $19 million in new funds to support 55 local domestic violence programs, tribal programs, coalitions, and culturally specific organizations in providing Specialized Services for Abused Parents and their Children. These new grants will implement trauma informed, multi-generational services for adults, children, and youth disrupting the cycle of domestic violence. HHS also provided more than $4 million to state, local, territorial, and tribal partners to reduce deaths among pregnant and post-partum women due to violence, including domestic violence, by: expanding the review of maternal deaths due to violence in specific states; establishing referral systems between health systems and domestic violence providers; and engaging doulas to screen for violence.

These are just some of the actions that the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to address domestic violence. As we mark Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month and reflect on the progress that we have already made —including through key laws like VAWA, FVPSA, and VOCA—the Biden-Harris Administration recommits to creating a world where everyone may live free from fear, free from violence, and free from abuse. And we continue to honor the voices of courageous survivors and advocates who have changed our country for the better.

Scroll to Top Scroll to Top
Top