Commentary October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Since 1989, the month of October has been dedicated to bringing awareness to the horrific tragedy of domestic violence that impacts individuals and families across America. Although progress has been made to support survivors and hold abusers accountable, particularly with the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, millions of Americans still suffer from domestic violence. In the United States, more than one in three women have experienced physical violence, stalking, and/or rape by an intimate partner. Every year, almost 8 million women across the country are physically assaulted by a present or previous intimate partner. The risks for victims of these crimes have increased over the past year. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many victims were locked in their homes with their abusers and isolated from friends, family, coworkers, and others. According to a July 2020 study published by the …