Look around the city tonight and you will likely see buildings awash in purple light. The initiative is part of the NYC Go Purple Day, a citywide day of action held each year on Oct. 20 during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Local buildings and landmarks across the city, including City Hall, Gracie Mansion, 1 World Trade Center, Bank of America Tower, and Four Times Square, will be lit up in purple to alert New Yorkers about the resources and services available to survivors of domestic violence.

City data shows that in 2021 there were 260,084 domestic violence incident reports filed by the NYPD – an average of 700 a day. In the same year, New York City’s 24-hour Domestic Violence hotline received 93,735 calls. Nearly 7,000 unique shelter requests were recorded, according to the city.

The number of reported incidents in 2021 was up by nearly 30,000 compared to 2020, data shows.

A survey conducted by the city found that “through the pandemic survivors’ experiences of abuse grew worse."

City data seems to indicate that, during the pandemic, domestic violence survivors were more likely to seek help via the internet or by phone, rather than filing a traditional report with the NYPD.

Experts widely agree that incidents of domestic violence remain underreported.

City officials, including Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, are set to recognize the citywide day of action. According to Gibson, she will join with community partners to provide information to New Yorkers about domestic violence at major transportation hubs thought the Bronx.

Mayor Eric Adams is also planning on honoring, learning from and lifting up survivors as well. He is scheduled to visit and speak with survivors of domestic violence at 3 p.m. Thursday.

There are also dozens of domestic violence awareness events, workshops, trainings and gatherings happening across the city in the days, weeks and months ahead. Those interested in attending can find more information about them here.