Whereas National Domestic Violence Awareness Month will be
observed during October 2010;
Whereas domestic violence affects people of all ages and
all 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 2007, 1,640 women were murdered by an intimate
partner, and were the victims of 70 percent of all intimate partner homicides
that year;
Whereas women from 16 to 24 years of age 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, in 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention estimated that the costs of intimate partner violence exceeded
$8,300,000,000, including the cost of medical care, mental health services, and
lost productivity;
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 more than 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 who
seek 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 it is critical to ensure that children who are
exposed to domestic violence are placed in the protective care of a responsible
and loving parent or guardian;
Whereas a study of over 17,000 adults by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente found that children who
live with their abusers are at high risk for grave medical, psychological, and
behavioral disorders and even death;
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 multi-State study shows conclusively that the
domestic violence shelters in the United States are addressing urgent and
long-term needs of victims and are helping victims protect themselves and their
children;
Whereas a 2009 National Census Survey reported that 65,321
adults and children were served by domestic violence shelters and programs
around the United States in a single day and those same understaffed programs
were unable to meet 9,280 requests for help on that same day;
Whereas there is a need to support 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; 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.