Domestic violence is not just hitting.

It is fear.
It is walking on eggshells inside your own home.
It is being controlled, isolated, threatened, monitored, degraded, manipulated, stalked, strangled, terrified, and psychologically destroyed while trying to survive day by day.

It is children hearing screaming through walls.
It is mothers sleeping with one eye open.
It is victims trying to protect their children while being told there is “not enough evidence” until the violence escalates too far.

Too many survivors ask for help before tragedy happens.
Too many warning signs are minimized.
Too many children grow up surrounded by fear and trauma.
Too many victims are retraumatized by the very systems meant to protect them.

The Annette Act was created in honor of Annette Marie Valdez and every survivor, child, and family forever changed by domestic violence.

This movement was created because survivors are tired of being ignored until someone is killed.

Across Colorado and across the country, survivors continue reporting the same failures:
• coercive control not being taken seriously
• repeated police calls being minimized
• victims being labeled “reactive”
• children being forced into unsafe situations
• strangulation being overlooked
• post-separation abuse escalating
• courts missing dangerous patterns
• survivors lacking safe housing or financial support to escape

Domestic violence is not usually one isolated incident.
It is a pattern. A pattern of intimidation, control, fear, escalation, manipulation, and trauma that builds over time.

The Annette Act calls for stronger domestic violence protections and survivor-centered reforms including:

• Recognition of coercive control as a serious form of abuse

• Better protection for children exposed to domestic violence
• Trauma-informed training for courts, law enforcement, CPS, and custody professionals
• Stronger strangulation investigation and lethality assessment protocols
• Increased survivor housing and shelter support
• Recognition of reactive abuse and trauma responses
• Improved offender accountability and repeat offender tracking
• Better coordination between family court, criminal court, CPS, and victim services
• Earlier intervention before violence escalates into homicide
• Survivor-centered and child-centered reforms focused on prevention, safety, and recovery

The Annette Act also calls for major investment in survivor safety, stability, and escape resources.

Too many victims remain trapped in dangerous situations because they have nowhere safe to go and no financial ability to leave. Survivors often leave abusive relationships with nothing but their children and the clothes they are wearing.

Colorado needs:
• More domestic violence shelters and transitional housing
• Long-term housing support for survivors rebuilding their lives
• Emergency financial assistance programs
• Transportation and vehicle assistance for survivors escaping abuse
• Childcare support for survivors starting over
• Trauma-informed therapy and mental health services
• Employment and education support programs
• Emergency relocation assistance
• Safe housing specifically designed for women and children fleeing violence

Survivors should not have to choose between homelessness and abuse. Leaving an abusive relationship is often the most dangerous and financially devastating moment in a victim’s life. If we truly want survivors to escape violence safely, we must provide real pathways to stability, safety, independence, and long-term recovery.

This petition is bigger than one person.
It is bigger than one case.

It is for every survivor who begged for help.
Every child forced to live in fear.
Every family forever changed by abuse.
And every life that could still be saved if systems begin listening before tragedy happens.

By signing this petition, you are standing with survivors, children, advocates, and families demanding change.

Victims deserve protection before tragedy.
Children deserve safety before lifelong trauma.
And survivors deserve to be believed before they are killed.