October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. While celebrity cases often bring these issues into the national spotlight, domestic violence can affect anyone. Abuse can exist in many forms beyond physical violence, including emotional, financial, verbal, coercive control, or other means by which the perpetrator exerts harm against their partner. Each individual has their own story, and every survivor deserves to be taken seriously and treated with compassion. By understanding the many faces of abuse and the resources available, we can help empower survivors to access the protections they need.
Recognizing and Documenting Abuse
If it is safe to do so, documenting instances of abuse, even if the victim is not ready to leave, is important. Leaving an abusive partner can be difficult for many reasons, but tangible evidence of the abuse can support critical legal proceedings in the future. Documentation can include dated images or videos of physical injuries or damaged property, medical records, objects used or damaged in an attack, call logs, communications (email, texts, notes), police reports, witness statements, and/or any other tangible evidence that can demonstrate the abuse.
Pop superstar Rihanna has been a public advocate for victims of domestic violence since news broke that she was assaulted by then-boyfriend, rapper Chris Brown, in 2009. In that case, police documented Rihanna’s injuries and detailed the assault in an affidavit. Brown pleaded guilty that year to felony assault, and a protective order was issued for Rihanna. While evidence can help demonstrate the extent and existence of the abuse and strengthen a case courts can still thoroughly review and investigate cases without contemporaneous evidence.
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"Domestic Violence Awareness Month: What Victims and Survivors Need to Know," by Morgan F. Mouchette was published in Forbes on October 27, 2026.