Council proclaims October 2025 Domestic Violence Awareness Month; recognizes disproportionate impact on immigrant communities

Seattle City Council on Oct. 14 accepted proclamations marking October 2025 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and recognized an intent to highlight the disproportionate impact of gender‑based violence on immigrant and refugee communities. Councilmember Teresa Juarez presented the proclamations and the council affixed signatures to both proclamations by roll-call vote.

Judith Hamasighe, identified in the meeting as representing the Mayor’s Office on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (part of the Seattle Human Services Department), thanked Councilmember Juarez and said the month “is a time to reaffirm our collective responsibility to protect the most vulnerable among us.” Hamasighe urged investment in survivors’ access to safe housing, legal protections, mental-health services and prevention work, saying: “Safety is not a privilege. It is a basic right.”

Nasim Ghazanfari, identified as a commissioner with the Seattle Women’s Commission, spoke about the additional burdens placed on immigrant communities. Ghazanfari told the council that while national data show high rates of lifetime gender‑based violence, barriers facing immigrants can be more acute: “The data when it comes to the immigrant communities can reach up to 94 percent… We want to tell them that we hear them, we see them, we know their existence, and we respect their resilience.”

Councilmember Juarez said the proclamations were intended to spotlight both survivors and service providers and to call attention to Purple Thursday — an October day of action. The council then had the clerk call the roll to determine which members would have their signatures affixed; the transcript records nine signatures affixed for the proclamations.

Why this matters: The proclamations publicly acknowledge the city’s attention to domestic and gender-based violence and point to an upcoming City Hall event on Oct. 28 intended to honor advocates, case managers and survivors. City staff and the Seattle Women’s Commission emphasized that immigrant and refugee survivors — including LGBTQ+ and gender‑diverse people — face particular barriers to reporting and accessing services.

Procedural note: The proclamations were presented under ceremonial business. The council suspended the rules to allow the guests to speak; the clerk recorded the signatures by roll call and the council then moved to the hybrid public-comment period.

Ending note: The City Hall event on Oct. 28, noted in the proclamation, is intended as a public recognition and outreach event; the proclamations encourage Seattle residents to support survivors and local service providers.