[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 4, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues today in 
observing Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Passage of the crime bill, 
which contained the Violence Against Women Act, has helped to make 
America more aware of the pervasive problem of domestic violence. The 
news is full of examples. From high profile celebrities to those in our 
own neighborhoods, we hear more about domestic violence every day. But 
we need to better understand its causes and its consequences. This 
month provides us with an opportunity to provide more complete 
information on the sad, startling reality of domestic violence and the 
devastating, far-reaching toll it is taking.
  People need to know that in 1993, 4 million American women reported 
being beaten by their husbands or boyfriends, and in 1990, 6 out of 10 
women who were victims of homicide were murdered by someone they knew.
  In my own home State of Connecticut, approximately 250,000 to 300,000 
women are victims of domestic violence every year. These statistics 
represent the real stories behind today's headlines. Domestic violence 
is a national tragedy. And once we as a Nation better understand it, we 
will be able to capitalize upon the efforts we began with the crime 
bill and do all that we can to prevent it.

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