[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 282 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 282
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness
Month and expressing the sense of the Senate that Congress should raise
awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating
effects on families.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 20, 2005
Mr. Biden (for himself, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Murray, Ms.
Cantwell, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Kohl, Mrs. Clinton, Ms.
Stabenow, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Akaka, Mrs. Boxer, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Dayton,
Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Specter, Mr. Leahy, Mr.
Talent, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Byrd, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Kennedy, Mr.
Feingold, and Mr. Salazar) submitted the following resolution which was
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness
Month and expressing the sense of the Senate that Congress should raise
awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating
effects on families.
Whereas 2005 marks the 11th anniversary of the enactment of the Violence Against
Women Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-322, 108 Stat. 1902);
Whereas since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, communities
have made significant progress in reducing domestic violence such that
between 1993 and 2001, the incidents of nonfatal domestic violence fell
49 percent;
Whereas the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 cost $15.50 per woman to
implement, and has been estimated to save $159 per woman, totaling a
savings of nearly $14,800,000,000 since its creation in averted costs of
victimization;
Whereas since it was created by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, the
National Domestic Violence Hotline has been used to answer over
1,000,000 calls;
Whereas States have passed over 660 State laws pertaining to domestic violence,
stalking, and sexual assault;
Whereas the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 has helped make strides toward
breaking the cycle of violence, but there remains much work to be done;
Whereas the Senate recently passed the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 which
reauthorized critical components of the original Act and established
additional protections for battered immigrants and victims of human
trafficking in order to further combat domestic violence and sexual
assault;
Whereas domestic violence affects women, men, and children of all racial,
social, religious, ethnic, and economic groups in the United States;
Whereas protecting the economic security of victims can help break the cycle of
domestic violence;
Whereas abusers frequently seek to control their partners by actively
interfering with the ability of their partners to work, including by
preventing their partners from going to work and harassing their
partners at work;
Whereas only 28 States and the District of Columbia have laws that explicitly
provide unemployment insurance to victims of domestic violence under
certain circumstances;
Whereas, on average, more than 3 women are murdered by their husbands or
boyfriends in the United States every day;
Whereas women who have been abused are much more likely to suffer from chronic
pain, diabetes, depression, unintended pregnancies, substance abuse, and
sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS;
Whereas only about 10 percent of primary care physicians routinely screen for
domestic violence during new patient visits, and 9 percent routinely
screen during periodic checkups;
Whereas each year, about 324,000 pregnant women in the United States are
battered by the men in their lives, leading to pregnancy complications,
such as low-weight gain, anemia, infections, and first and second
trimester bleeding;
Whereas every 2 minutes, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted;
Whereas almost 25 percent of women surveyed had been raped or physically
assaulted by a spouse or boyfriend at some point in their lives;
Whereas in 2002 alone, 250,000 women and girls older than the age of 12 were
raped or sexually assaulted;
Whereas 64 percent of women have reported being raped, physically assaulted, or
stalked since age 18 by their current or former intimate partner;
Whereas 1 out of every 12 women has been stalked in her lifetime;
Whereas approximately 503,000 women are stalked by an intimate partner annually
in the United States;
Whereas the influence of cultural norms, economics, language barriers, and
limited access to legal services and information may render some
immigrant women particularly vulnerable to abuse;
Whereas 1 in 5 adolescent girls in the United States becomes a victim of
physical or sexual abuse, or both, in a dating relationship;
Whereas 40 percent of girls ages 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who
has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend;
Whereas approximately 8,800,000 children in the United States witness domestic
violence each year;
Whereas witnessing domestic violence increases the risk of developing long-term
physical and mental health problems, future struggles with substance
abuse, and experiencing domestic abuse as a victim;
Whereas a boy who witnesses his father's domestic violence is 10 times more
likely to engage in domestic violence than a boy from a nonviolent home;
Whereas almost 37 percent of all women who sought care in hospital emergency
rooms for violence-related injuries were injured by a current or former
spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend;
Whereas the cost of domestic violence, including rape, physical assault, and
stalking, exceeds $5,800,000,000 each year, of which $4,100,000,000 is
spent on direct medical and mental health care services;
Whereas 44 percent of the mayors of the United States have identified domestic
violence as a primary cause of homelessness;
Whereas over 50 percent of abused women lose at least 3 days of work per month
due to domestic violence, 60 percent of battered women endure reprimands
for arriving late to work and displaying other work-related problems
associated with abuse, and 70 percent report difficulties in performing
their work due to the effects of domestic violence;
Whereas existing statistical data suggests that forced prostitution, trafficking
for sex, and sex tourism has increased throughout the world;
Whereas the need to increase the public awareness and understanding of domestic
violence and the needs of battered women and their children continues to
exist;
Whereas the month of October 2005 has been recognized as National Domestic
Violence Awareness Month, a month for activities furthering awareness of
domestic violence; and
Whereas the dedication and successes of those working tirelessly to end domestic
violence and the strength of the survivors of domestic violence should
be recognized: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate
(1) supports the goals and ideals of National Domestic
Violence Awareness Month; and
(2) expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should
continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the United
States and its devastating impact on families.
<all>