Women’s History Month Is Also a Call to Protect Women
March is Women’s History Month — a time to celebrate resilience, leadership, and progress. But it’s also a time to confront a reality that still impacts millions of women and families across the United States: domestic violence remains one of the most urgent public safety and public health issues of our time.
At the Gabby Petito Foundation, honoring women means more than remembrance. It means prevention. It means education. And it means ensuring that no warning sign goes ignored.
Why This Month Matters
According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men experience severe intimate partner violence in their lifetime. These are not abstract numbers. They represent daughters, sisters, friends, and neighbors.
Women’s History Month provides a powerful opportunity to:
Highlight early warning signs of coercive control and escalating abuse
Amplify survivor voices
Encourage proactive safety planning
Connect communities to trusted resources
Awareness is not symbolic. It saves lives.
Recognizing the Red Flags
Education remains one of the Foundation’s core missions. Many abusive relationships begin subtly, with isolation, manipulation, or financial control, before escalating.
Warning signs may include:
Monitoring phone activity or social media
Rapid intensity or possessiveness early in a relationship
Controlling access to transportation, finances, or friends
Threats, intimidation, or emotional degradation
By normalizing conversations about these behaviors, we reduce stigma and empower individuals to seek help earlier.
Community Action Over Silence
Silence allows abuse to escalate. Community awareness interrupts that cycle.
This month, consider:
Hosting a local educational seminar
Sharing verified resources on social media
Supporting organizations that provide direct assistance
Checking in with someone you haven’t heard from in a while
Small actions build protective networks.
Immediate Resources
If you or someone you know may be in danger:
Call or text the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
In emergencies, call 911
Additional safety planning tools can be found at: https://gabbypetitofoundation.org/resources
