DOJ Leadership and Employees Wear Purple to Raise Awareness of Domestic Violence

 October 22, 2020

Courtesy of Laura L. Rogers, Principal Deputy Director, Office on Violence Against Women

We are sporting purple at the Office on Violence Against Women and across the Department of Justice to raise awareness during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Attorney General Barr, Deputy Attorney General Rosen, Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Murray, Department of Justice leaders and staff across the nation, U.S. Attorneys, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) have joined together for Purple Thursday to raise awareness about relationship violence and to band together in support of survivors.

Here at the DOJ we work together every day to prevent domestic violence and we know that the willful intimidation, assault and other abusive behavior that is used to control an intimate partner is rampant -- and often deadly.

Domestic violence hotlines get about 19,000 calls a day as an estimated 10 million adults are domestically abused each year. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, intimate partner violence accounted for 20 percent of all violent crime in 2018. From 2016 to 2018, domestic violence victimization rose 42 percent.

U.S. Attorneys and ATF work together to help prevent domestic violence homicides by enforcing federal laws that prohibit those convicted of domestic violence from possessing a firearm. Research shows that abusers are more likely to kill their victim when they have access to a firearm.

We know that intimate partner violence does not discriminate. Men, women, LGBTQ, white, black, native, young and old -- everyone can suffer from abuse.  Yet we most commonly see young women being victimized. Whether we know it or not, there is domestic violence in every community. In some way, either directly or indirectly, domestic violence will ultimately affects each and every one of us. For some, the impacts can and will be felt for generations and last a lifetime.

I have been inspired by the way everyone at DOJ has joined together to bring awareness to domestic violence.  I encourage you to help raise awareness of the emotional, psychological, physical and sexual abuse that is harming people today.

If you, or someone you know, is suffering from domestic violence, please find information to your state’s domestic violence coalition here, or reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. These services may be able to help you or someone you love find safety. For emergencies, call 911.

Please join us in spreading the word that domestic violence is hurtful and indefensible and share our resources to help those already affected by it. By speaking up and reaching out, you may save a life.