[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 191 (Wednesday, October 4, 2017)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 46359-46360]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-21552]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 82 , No. 191 / Wednesday, October 4, 2017 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 46359]]


                Proclamation 9649 of September 29, 2017

                
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2017

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Domestic violence is never acceptable. During National 
                Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I call on all 
                Americans to promote the safety and liberty of the 
                women, men, and children who are subjected to violent, 
                intimidating, or controlling behavior at the hands of 
                those closest to them.

                All humans have inherent dignity, and no one deserves 
                to be in an abusive relationship. While the rate of 
                domestic violence in our country has decreased over the 
                last two decades, domestic violence continues to spread 
                across our Nation. Nearly 1 in 4 American women aged 18 
                and older have been the victim of physical violence by 
                an intimate partner, and domestic violence is still the 
                leading cause of injury to women. Emotional abuse is 
                also sadly too prevalent in our communities, and can 
                inflict deep scars on those caught in an up-and-down 
                cycle of belittling, aggressive behavior even in what 
                can feel like a healthy relationship.

                We share a moral obligation to recognize, address, and 
                stop domestic violence. Each of us must be a voice for 
                those suffering in silence and must speak up when we 
                see signs of physical or emotional abuse. Together we 
                can bolster victims' support networks and encourage and 
                empower them to report offenses.

                We recognize and applaud the many advocates, clergy, 
                victim-service providers, educators, law enforcement 
                officers, family members, and friends who render daily 
                aid to victims of harmful and destructive 
                relationships, often as first responders. Tens of 
                thousands of women and children find refuge in domestic 
                violence emergency shelters and transition housing each 
                day, but thousands more are turned away. That is why 
                the Department of Health and Human Services and the 
                Department of Housing and Urban Development are engaged 
                in the critical work of funding domestic violence 
                shelters and hotlines. And each year, the Department of 
                Justice Office on Violence Against Women awards 
                hundreds of millions of Federal grant dollars to 
                support law enforcement efforts to assist victims and 
                hold offenders accountable.

                During National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I 
                encourage Americans affected by domestic violence to 
                seek help. Your neighbors, places of worship, 
                community, and Nation stand ready to support you. I 
                remain deeply committed to ensuring that our Nation is 
                one where all may live free of fear, violence, and 
                abuse, especially in their own homes.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim October 2017 as 
                National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I call on 
                all Americans to stand firm in condemning domestic 
                violence and supporting victims of these crimes in 
                finding the safety and recovery they need and to 
                support, recognize, and trust in the efforts of law 
                enforcement to hold offenders accountable, protect 
                victims of crime and their communities, and prevent 
                future violence.

[[Page 46360]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand seventeen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                second.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2017-21552
Filed 10-3-17; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F7-P