This column talks about domestic abuse. If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence or an abusive relationship, call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233) or visit www.thehotline.org. Callers can remain anonymous.

The United States is celebrating 250 years of independence this year. It is a reminder not only of the powerful and enduring impact even a small group of people can have, but also of the promise enshrined in the Declaration of Independence itself – the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

As I reflect on the magnitude of this anniversary, I keep coming back to our work at the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the kind of freedom victims, survivors, families and advocates envision and work toward. For many of us, this founding promise remains unfulfilled.

In the context of our history as a country, our collective efforts to address and end domestic violence are still nascent. As a survivor myself, and as the chief executive officer of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, I do not see this as an indictment of our collective work – we have accomplished so much in such a short time – but as an opportunity to rise to the occasion.

Together, we can make the founding promise of our country real for the more than 10 million people affected by relationship abuse every year.

Marital rape, no-fault divorce helped change minds on domestic violence

For most of our nation’s history, domestic violence has been largely accepted and ignored.

Even as abuse became socially unacceptable and measures were passed to rescind these so-called legal rights to abuse a partner, domestic violence continued to be seen as a private matter. There was little to no legal recourse for those experiencing abuse and no understanding of the many forms of abuse that exist beyond the physical.

Despite these challenges, many people came together to support victims of abuse, with early advocates taking survivors into their own homes. By the 1970s, we started to see real momentum and progress: The first formal domestic violence shelter opened its doors in 1974, and by the end of the decade, there were at least 250 domestic violence shelters across the country.

Marital rape exemptions were challenged in court and ended, and no-fault divorce laws began popping up across the country. This progress created a ripple effect among states and sparked action at the federal level, leading to the passage of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act of 1984 to provide federal funding for domestic violence shelters and programs.

Ten years later, the Violence Against Women Act was signed into law, establishing the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Thirty years ago, the National Domestic Violence Hotline answered its first call. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The number is 1-800-799-7233 (That's 1-800-799-SAFE).

We made progress on domestic violence, but challenges remain

I am proud to say that during the past 30 years, our highly trained advocates have answered more than 7 million calls, chats and texts from victims and survivors who reached out in need of support and a pathway to safety.

As I reflect on this 30-year anniversary for the hotline, which we celebrated in February, I am reminded of what it took to get here and the collective efforts of roughly 2,000 direct-service providers in the field – advocates, researchers, health care professionals, businesses, funders and survivors working to drive real change for domestic violence survivors.

Today, domestic violence screening and counseling are recognized as a form of health care, expanding access to these services. Businesses across industries have begun establishing protections and support systems for survivors in the workplace, such as offering paid leave for domestic violence-related incidents and trauma-informed counseling.

We’ve seen the passage of federal policy and regulations designed to protect survivors from digital abuse. What’s more, the stories of both victims and survivors are increasingly shared openly in news coverage and pop culture, ending years of silence and stigma.

We have made tremendous progress in realizing the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for victims and survivors, and we are not done.

Reported abusive partners are legally prohibited from possessing firearms, but many law enforcement agencies are overburdened and lack the resources to enact blanket enforcement. Despite a continuous decline in violent crime across the country, reported cases of domestic violence continue to increase.

At the hotline, our call numbers have been trending upward since before the COVID-19 pandemic. We know our numbers do not reflect the full breadth of victims and survivors who are not yet ready to reach out.

Despite this tremendous need, funding and policy are not keeping pace. Domestic violence organizations are facing significant funding cuts at the federal level, and very few private or public philanthropies prioritize support for our field.

No-fault divorce laws are increasingly facing challenges. The shifting state-by-state landscape of abortion restrictions is affecting survivors experiencing reproductive coercion.

Domestic abuse isn't inevitable. Here's how we can help stop it.

As you read this, a survivor is making the call for the first time today. Another probably is calling us for the third or fourth time – finally preparing to leave, perhaps her name has been called off the long wait list that exists in shelters nationwide.

And still, so many are not yet ready to reach out. Those stories we have yet to hear, and those we heard too late, remind me of the urgency of this work. In 250 years of this country and 30 years of the hotline, we’ve overcome so much, but we still have work to do.

For me, the hotline and the broader constellation of advocates and organizations who work tirelessly to support survivors are a testament to our ongoing effort to fulfill our country’s core promise.

We must commit to building a country where we refuse to accept domestic violence as inevitable. This means funding the work of direct-service organizations, addressing abusive relationship patterns at the root through preventive education, and working with survivors at the front end when designing emerging technologies so that they are not misused as a tool for further abuse, harassment and control.

Above all, it means prioritizing survivors in our ongoing effort to make this country a place where all of us can live up to its promise.

Katie Ray-Jones has served for more than a decade as chief executive officer of the National Domestic Violence Hotline – the nation’s only 24/7 hotline for those affected by relationship abuse.

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