[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>