President Joe Biden: Why My Fight Against Domestic Violence is So Personal
glamour.comIn an exclusive opinion editorial, Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States writes for Glamour.Tonight, on the South Lawn of the White House, more than 1,000 survivors, advocates, and allies will gather to mark the 30th anniversary of the first comprehensive law addressing violence against women in our nation’s history: the Violence Against Women Act.As we celebrate our progress on this , we’ll also hear powerful stories from heroic survivors: a longstanding champion who has fought alongside us for 30 years; an advocate for Indigenous women, LGBTQ+ survivors, and underserved communities; and a young, heroic man who was shot while intervening to stop a sexual assault while in college.When I first introduced the Violence Against Women Act as a Senator in 1990, too few thought the government had a role to play in ending violence against women.
Domestic violence was considered a “family matter.” Back then, society largely turned a blind eye, dismissed cries for help, or blamed the victims.It was wrong.I have long believed that ending violence against women requires a wholesale cultural change – one that brought this hidden epidemic out from the shadows.
So, as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I began to do just that.“I invited health professionals, advocates, and courageous survivors to testify to the entire nation.
Their harrowing stories have stuck with me more than 30 years later.”My committee conducted, researched and authored groundbreaking, data-driven reports on , to shine a light on the truth and shake the nation out of its indifference.
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