Biden said that back then "society often looked away" and that violence against women was not treated as a crime in many places. He said a national hotline was not available to those suffering abuse and few police departments had special victim units.
"My goal was to do more than change the law," he said at a White House event marking Friday's 30th anniversary of the law. He said his goal was "to change the culture of America" by providing more protection and support for survivors and accountability for perpetrators.
"I believed the only way we could change the culture was by shining a light on that culture, and speaking its name," he said.
Biden wrote and championed the legislation as a US senator. It was the first comprehensive federal law that addressed violence against women and sought to provide support for survivors and justice. It sought to shift the national narrative around domestic violence at the time; that it was a private matter best left alone.
The White House said that between 1993 and 2022, annual rates of domestic violence dropped by 67 per cent and the rate of rapes and sexual assaults declined by 56 per cent, according to FBI statistics. A national domestic violence hotline has fielded more than 7 million calls since 1996, Biden said.
"It matters. It saves lives," he said Thursday.
Biden spent years advocating for the law, moved by horrible stories of domestic violence. Congress passed it in 1994 with bipartisan support. Then-President Bill Clinton signed it into law on September 13, 1994.
"The Violence Against Women Act is my proudest legislative achievement," Biden said at the event on the White House lawn. It was attended by hundreds of people, including survivors of domestic violence, advocates, administration officials and members of Congress.
