[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 86 (Thursday, June 30, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 30, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
          DOMESTIC VIOLENCE MUST NOT STAY BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

  (Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate 
two women in my home city of Milwaukee who died at the hands of the 
person whom they should have been able to trust the most--their 
husbands.
  First let me tell you about a young woman named Hoa, who escaped 
Cambodia and came to the United States in search of a better life. 
After years of abuse, Hoa sought protection at a shelter. She was 
working with the counselors to find safe, permanent housing when her 
husband found her, accused her of leaving their home to have an affair, 
and stabbed her to death.
  Next, there is Denise, who was 21 when she obtained a restraining 
order against her husband; it did not work. Her husband broke into her 
home, shot and killed her. When the police found her body, she was 
clutching the restraining order in her hands.
  These are only two of the many women who die at the hands of people 
they love or once loved. We must not forget that behind every statistic 
there is a human name and voice. They are our sisters, daughters, and 
mothers. We cannot shirk our responsibility as legislators. We must let 
the world know that we cannot and will not allow domestic violence to 
stay being closed doors.

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