Whereas the President has designated October 2009 as
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
;
Whereas domestic violence affects people of all ages as
well as racial, ethnic, gender, economic, and religious backgrounds;
Whereas females are disproportionately victims of domestic
violence, and 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence at some point in
her life;
Whereas on average, more than 3 women are murdered by
their husbands or boyfriends in the United States every day;
Whereas in 2005, 1,181 women were murdered by an intimate
partner constituting 78 percent of all intimate partner homicides that
year;
Whereas women ages 16 to 24 experience the highest rates,
per capita, of intimate partner violence;
Whereas 1 out of 3 Native American women will be raped and
6 out of 10 will be physically assaulted in their lifetimes;
Whereas the cost of intimate partner violence exceeds
$5,800,000,000 each year, $4,100,000 of which is for direct medical and mental
health care services;
Whereas 1/4 to
1/2 of domestic violence victims report that they have
lost a job due, at least in part, to domestic violence;
Whereas the annual cost of lost productivity due to
domestic violence is estimated at $727,800,000 with over 7,900,000 paid
workdays lost per year;
Whereas some landlords deny housing to victims of domestic
violence who have protection orders or evict victims of domestic violence for
seeking help after a domestic violence incident, such as by calling 911, 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 approximately 40 to 60 percent of men who abuse
women also abuse children;
Whereas approximately 15,500,000 children are exposed to
domestic violence every year;
Whereas children exposed to domestic violence are more
likely to attempt suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from home, and
engage in teenage prostitution;
Whereas one large study found that men exposed to physical
abuse, sexual abuse, and adult domestic violence as children were almost 4
times more likely than other men to have perpetrated domestic violence as
adults;
Whereas nearly 1,500,000 high school students nationwide
experienced physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year;
Whereas 13 percent of teenage girls who have been in a
relationship report being hit or hurt by their partners and 1 in 4 teenage
girls has been in a relationship in which she was pressured by her partner into
performing sexual acts;
Whereas adolescent girls who reported dating violence were
60 percent more likely to report one or more suicide attempts in the past
year;
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 88 percent of men in a national poll reported that
they think that our society should do more to respect women and girls;
Whereas a recently released multi-State study shows
conclusively that the Nation’s domestic violence shelters are addressing
victims’ urgent and long-term needs and are helping victims protect themselves
and their children;
Whereas a 2008 National Census Survey reported that 60,799
adults and children were served by domestic violence shelters and programs
around the Nation in a single day;
Whereas those same understaffed programs were unable to
meet 8,927 requests for help that day;
Whereas there is a need to increase funding for programs
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 Senate—
(1)supports the goals and ideals of National
Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2009; 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 effects on families
and communities, and support programs designed to end domestic violence.