Although a survivor of domestic violence may try to “just leave,” some abusers are relentless and continue to pose a lifelong safety threat through stalking and ongoing attacks.

In 1998  the Social Security Administration  announced an identity change program that allowed abuse survivors whose lives were at risk  to change their social security numbers.

An estimated 1000 desperate abuse survivors turn to this last resort option each year when traditional means of law enforcement fail.  No doubt many lives have been saved since this program was developed. But problems with the program are beginning to emerge and must be addressed so that survivors who depend on this life-saving option can remain safe.

DID YOU KNOW THAT....

• It’s often impossible to prosecute stalkers and perpetrators of domestic violence due to
  lack of admissible evidence?
• If a victim is seen to be in imminent danger and there is insufficient evidence for the courts to intervene, the US  Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women advises victims to relocate and change their identity?
• Countless thousands of women in the United States and their children have been assigned second Social Security Numbers and new identities to protect them from perpetrators the United States Government acknowledges it cannot thwart through law enforcement or judicial intervention?
• Both legally assigned Social Security Numbers remain active for a lengthy and poorly supervised transition period?
• Unlike the Witness Protection Program, victims provided a new identity due to domestic violence are provided no formal guidelines and no material support in making the identity transition?
• The US Government provides registrants undocumented and ongoing advice that it refuses to verify?
• There is little to no coordination among federal and state government agencies, and many government agencies lack any knowledge of this protective program or procedures for interacting with its registrants?
• Cooperative registrants in this US federal program have been mistaken as perpetrators of fraud because of their identity status?
• When accused, program registrants have been abandoned and told that they cannot be helped for fear of harming this secretive identity change program?
• One woman has lost custody of her children and another has been prosecuted for fraud by one arm of the government for following the rules of the  government's SNN number change program?
• The failings of this program are so grievous that  some registrants (and especially children of registrants) are appealing to be released from it?