BACON MAGAZINE
Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Standing With Survivors

This year’s theme, With Survivors, Always, asks every woman with a platform, a payroll, or a client list to consider the role she can play.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month is observed every October as a time to honor survivors, remember those lost to abuse, and recommit to a future free from violence. For women in business, Domestic Violence Awareness Month carries a practical dimension as well, because the employees, clients, collaborators, and friends we see every day may be navigating abuse that is invisible from the outside. The way we lead, hire, and respond can help someone feel safe enough to take the next step.

The Story Behind Domestic Violence Awareness Month

The National Domestic Violence Hotline traces the observance to the Day of Unity in 1981, a day set aside to mourn those lost to domestic violence, celebrate survivors, and connect everyone working to end abuse. The Day of Unity is still held on the first Monday of October, and this year it fell on October 5. On Thursday, October 15, supporters across the country will mark Wear Purple Day, also known as Purple Thursday, with purple standing for peace, courage, survival, and a shared commitment to ending abuse.

The Hotline took its first call in 1996 and answered its 8 millionth contact on July 29, 2026. Its advocates respond to calls, chats, and texts around the clock, every day of the year, and this year’s campaign, With Survivors, Always, shines a light on the people who answer when survivors reach out for the first time.

Economic Power and the Path to Safety

Financial abuse, such as controlling a partner’s money, sabotaging her work, or running up debt in her name, is widely recognized as one of the ways abusers maintain control. That reality gives women in business a meaningful role to play. Steady income, flexible paid work, and access to professional networks can help survivors rebuild independence, and business owners are often in a position to offer exactly those things.

Consider partnering with local shelters or survivor-focused nonprofits on hiring or training programs, offering paid internships or contract work with flexible schedules, and mentoring women who are starting over professionally. Buying from survivor-founded brands, donating products to shelters, and sponsoring financial literacy workshops are other ways to put your resources behind the women who are rebuilding.

Making Your Business a Safer Place

If an employee or colleague confides in you, listen without judgment, believe her, and let her lead the conversation about what she needs. Avoid pressuring anyone to leave a relationship before she is ready, since survivors understand their own safety better than anyone else. Share the Hotline’s contact information, offer flexibility for court dates and appointments, and keep what she tells you private.

Everyday operations matter too. Avoid posting team members’ schedules or locations publicly, protect customer and employee contact information, and make sure your team knows how to respond if someone arrives at your workplace to cause harm. The Hotline also maintains a directory of local providers, including shelters, legal help, financial aid, and counseling, which is a valuable reference for any business owner to keep on hand.

As Bacon Magazine celebrates National Women’s Small Business Month this October, we also honor the survivors who are building businesses, careers, and new lives. Domestic Violence Awareness Month reminds us that standing with survivors is a year-round commitment, and that every woman in business can help create workplaces where safety and dignity come first.