We Still Have Work to Do—But Here’s One Win Worth Naming During DVAM

By: Dr. Kate Watson

Domestic Violence Awareness Month often invites reflection: Where are we making progress? Where are we still falling short? And when it comes to domestic violence, both are true at the same time. We have more awareness than ever before. And yet, when we look at funding and legal protections for survivors, the gaps are still significant.

Many domestic violence programs operate with limited and unstable funding. This shows up in ways that directly impact survivors: Long waitlists for services, limited shelter availability, understaffed programs, and high turnover among advocates. And while there have been important advancements in legal responses to domestic violence, protections are not always consistent. Survivors may encounter: Barriers to obtaining protective orders, inconsistent enforcement, systems that feel confusing or retraumatizing, and outcomes that don’t align with their needs or safety.

A Shift Worth Recognizing: We Better Understand the Needs of Advocates

Amid these challenges, there is one area where we’ve made important progress: We are beginning to understand the needs of advocates themselves. This may seem like a smaller win in the context of systemic gaps—but it matters more than it might appear because advocates are the bridge between survivors and the systems meant to support them. For a long time, that bridge has been under-supported, but there is now greater recognition that advocacy work carries emotional weight.

There is also (and this is my favorite part) growing awareness that advocacy is not just about compassion. It requires communication skills, emotional regulation, and decision-making in complex situations. This shift moves the field toward a more intentional, professionalized approach to advocacy.

Over the past 20–30 years, victim advocacy in the United States has built on its community organizing roots to become a more formally recognized profession, with clearer ethical standards, defined competencies, and expanded training opportunities. The introduction of national credentialing in 2003 helped establish shared expectations for preparation and continuing education. Professional standards now more explicitly emphasize understanding trauma, respecting survivors’ choices, responding to cultural and accessibility needs, and maintaining appropriate boundaries. There is also greater recognition that advocates need organizational support to address vicarious trauma and sustain their work. Although progress varies across organizations, these developments reflect a stronger commitment to both the quality of survivor services and the well-being of the people providing them.

When advocates are better trained and supported, they are better able to show up for survivors. And that’s a win that I want to recognize this October, for DVAM.