Women Against Abuse has launched its 19th annual I Pledge Campaign to bring attention to domestic violence and what you can do to stop it.
By Denise Clay-Murray
As a youngster, Dineth learned why places like Women Against Abuse and the work they do is so important.
Dineth’s mother came to a Women Against Abuse shelter seeking a safe place to land after leaving an abusive relationship. Being a 9-year-old, she didn’t understand a lot about what was going on, she said.
“I didn’t understand the danger,” she said. “I didn’t understand domestic violence. I didn’t understand why we couldn’t tell people where we were staying. Looking back, we were only a few miles from our home, but to me, it felt like another world.”
While she made friends among the other children living at the shelter, Dineth’s mother was taking classes and working with the other women as they attempted to rebuild lives shattered by domestic violence.
The camaraderie these women shared despite their circumstances made an impression, Dineth said.
“One of the things that stayed with me the most was watching the women support one another, and as a child, I thought this is what adults do,” she said. “Now I understand something deeper. These women were survivors. While rebuilding their own lives, they were helping one another find the strength to keep going.”
On September 30, Women Against Abuse reminded Philadelphians of the importance of supporting those impacted by domestic violence by launching the organization’s 19th annual I Pledge Campaign with a rally at City Hall.
Fifty years ago, Women Against Abuse started working with those victimized by domestic violence. While the organization has done a lot, and more people are tuned in to the issue, there’s still a lot of work to do, said Joanna Otero-Cruz, the organization’s president and executive director.
The Women Against Abuse 19th annual I Pledge Campaign rally at City Hall. Chris Mansfield | PHL City Council
“Fifty years of this work has taught us something important: safety is everything. And when survivors have access to safety, support, and opportunity, they can build futures that they once have seemed impossible,” she said. “Fifty years is an important milestone, but it is also a moment to look at where we are today and the work that still remains to prevent relationship abuse and save lives. Domestic violence-related homicides are moving in the wrong direction. While overall homicides were at record lows this past year, domestic-related homicides rose last year. That tells us something critical. Even as our city becomes safer overall, intimate partner violence remains a persistent and deadly problem that requires targeted intervention and support. We need every member of the city to join us as ambassadors for safe relationships and safe homes, because we know that domestic violence affects far more than the person being abused. It affects children, families, and entire communities.”
In addition to giving everyone a chance to sign the pledge to combat domestic violence, the organization honored Councilmember Quetcy Lozada (D-7th Dist.) with its 2026 Social Impact Award for her work advocating for domestic violence survivors.
Lozada thanked Women Against Abuse for bringing much needed attention to a problem that at one time was going largely ignored. Because of this, Lozada and her colleagues on Council, many of whom were supporting her at the event, have managed to get $100 million toward the city’s efforts to combat the problem.
Making sure that domestic violence survivors don’t feel alone is important, Lozada said. As a survivor herself, she remembered that feeling and the isolation that goes with it. That’s why the I Pledge campaign is so important.
“Survivor safety is not a private issue,” Lozada said. “It is a community responsibility, and every one of us across the city has a role to play. Domestic violence thrives in silence and isolation. That role can begin with something as simple as noticing, listening, and believing someone, and knowing where to send them for help. It is our collective responsibility to fight against injustice, to speak up for those whose voices have been silenced, to confront the harsh reality of abuse wherever it exists, and to connect people experiencing violence with resources.”
Speaking of resources, those in attendance were able to connect with organizations that serve those impacted by domestic violence as part of the event.