109 HRES 944 IH: Supporting the goals and ideals of National U.S. House of Representatives 2006-07-25 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 109th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 944 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 25, 2006 Mr. Poe (for himself, Mr. Costa, Ms. Harris, Mr. Moore of Kansas, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Holden, and Ms. Hart) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should raise awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating effects on families and communities.

Whereas October 2006 is to be recognized as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a month for activities furthering the awareness of domestic violence; Whereas one in four women will fall victim to domestic violence in her life; Whereas women ages 16 to 24 experience the highest rates, per capita, of intimate partner violence; Whereas 70 percent of teenage girls and college women who are raped are raped during the course of a date; Whereas 13 percent of teenage girls who have been in a relationship report being hit or hurt by their partners; Whereas one in four teenage girls has been in a relationship in which she was pressured into performing sexual acts by her partner; Whereas one study found that 25 percent of girls in 8th or 9th grade have been victims of non-sexual violence and eight percent have been victims of sexual violence; Whereas there is a need for middle schools, secondary schools, and post-secondary schools to educate students about the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; Whereas 30 to 50 percent of dating relationships exhibit the same kind of escalating violence as marital relationships; Whereas the costs of intimate partner violence annually exceeds $5.8 billion, including $4.1 billion in direct medical and mental health care services for victims of domestic violence; Whereas domestic violence has been estimated to cost employers anywhere from $3 to 13 billion per year in the United States due to loss of productivity, workdays missed, and the cost of increased health care due to domestic violence-related injuries; Whereas landlords frequently deny housing to victims of domestic violence who have protection orders or evict victims of domestic violence for seeking help, such as by calling 911, after a domestic violence incident or who have other indications that they are domestic violence victims; Whereas 92 percent of homeless women experience severe physical or sexual abuse at some point in their lifetimes; Whereas one study indicates that nearly 46 percent of homeless women reported staying in an abusive relationship because they had nowhere else to go; Whereas 40 to 60 percent of men who abuse women also abuse children; Whereas men who witness domestic violence as children are twice as likely to abuse their own partners; Whereas children who witness domestic violence are more likely to attempt suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from home, and engage in teenage prostitution; Whereas the media is increasingly reporting stories of men involved in domestic violence cases who kill their spouses and often their children before committing suicide; Whereas, according to one study, during court ordered visitation, five percent of abusive fathers threaten to kill their spouses, 34 percent of abusive fathers threaten to kidnap their children, and 25 percent of abusive fathers threaten to physically hurt their children; Whereas homicide is the third leading cause of death for Native American women and 75 percent of Native American women who are killed are killed by a family member or an acquaintance; Whereas there is a need to increase public awareness and understanding of domestic violence and the needs of battered women, men, and children; Whereas there is a need to increase funding for programs carried out under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–322; 108 Stat. 1902 et seq.) aimed at intervening and preventing domestic violence in the United States; and Whereas individuals and organizations that are dedicated to preventing and ending domestic violence should be recognized: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)supports the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month; and (2)expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating effects on families and communities.