[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 159 (Friday, October 13, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S15170]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WEEK WITHOUT VIOLENCE

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of Senate Resolution 
180, a resolution designating October 15-21, 1995 as the ``Week Without 
Violence''; that the Senate then proceed to its immediate 
consideration; that the resolution and preamble be agreed to, en bloc; 
that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; and that any 
statements relating thereto appear in the Record at the appropriate 
place.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  So the resolution (S. Res. 180) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, is as follows:

                              S. Res. 180

       Whereas the Week Without Violence, a public-awareness 
     campaign designed to inspire alternatives to the problem of 
     violence in our society, falls on October 15, 1995, through 
     October 21, 1995;
       Whereas the prevalence of violence in our society has 
     become increasingly disturbing, as reflected by the fact that 
     2,000,000 people are injured each year as a result of violent 
     crime, with a staggering 24,500 reported murders in 1993 and 
     with losses from medical expenses, lost pay, property, and 
     other crime-related costs totaling billions of dollars each 
     year;
       Whereas studies show that violence against women in their 
     own homes causes more total injuries to women than rape, 
     muggings, and car accidents combined and that one-half of all 
     women who are murdered in the United States are killed by 
     their male partners;
       Whereas violence has invaded our homes and communities and 
     is exacting a terrible toll on our country's youth;
       Whereas children below the age of 12 are the victims of 1 
     in 4 violent juvenile victimizations reported to law 
     enforcement, adding up to roughly 600,000 violent incidents 
     involving children under the age of 12 each year;
       Whereas studies show that childhood abuse and neglect 
     increases a child's odds of future delinquency and adult 
     criminality and that today's juvenile victims are tomorrow's 
     repeat offenders;
       Whereas the risk of violent victimization of children and 
     young adults has increased in recent years;
       Whereas according to FBI statistics, on a typical day in 
     1992, 7 juveniles were murdered;
       Whereas from 1985 to 1992, nearly 17,000 persons under the 
     age of 18 were murdered;
       Whereas the YWCA, as the oldest women's membership movement 
     in the United States, continues its long history as an 
     advocate for women's rights, racial justice, and nonviolent 
     approaches to resolving many of society's most troubling 
     problems;
       Whereas the chapters of the YWCA provide a wide range of 
     valuable programs for women all across the country, including 
     job training programs, child care, battered women's shelters, 
     support programs for victims of rape and sexual assault, and 
     legal advocacy;
       Whereas the YWCA Week Without Violence campaign will take 
     an active approach to confront the problem of violence head-
     on, with a grassroots effort to prevent violence from making 
     further inroads into our schools, community organizations, 
     workplaces, neighborhoods, and homes;
       Whereas the Week Without Violence will provide a forum for 
     examining viable solutions for keeping violence against 
     women, men, and children out of our homes and communities;
       Whereas national and local groups will inspire and educate 
     our communities about effective alternatives to violence; and
       Whereas the YWCA Week Without Violence is both a challenge 
     and a clarion call to all Americans: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate encourages all Americans to spend 
     7 days without committing, condoning, or contributing to 
     violence and proclaims the week of October 15, 1995, through 
     October 21, 1995, as the ``Week Without Violence''.

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I am pleased to rise today to support 
passage of Senate Resolution 180, declaring next week the ``Week 
Without Violence.'' This week is part of what I hope will be a 
tremendous public awareness campaign to educate Americans about the 
threat of violence in our society and to offer alternatives to this 
grave problem.
  None of us is immune from the violence in our communities. In rural 
and urban areas across this country, men, women, and children are at 
risk. They are at risk not just on the streets, but all too often in 
their homes or in their schools.
  I enthusiastically join Senator Bradley and others in supporting this 
resolution; it calls on Americans to spend a week without committing, 
condoning, ignoring, or contributing to violence.
  Teaching people that violence is not acceptable and educating victims 
of violence to seek out protection will save lives. The issue of 
violence deserves national attention and demands community involvement. 
I hope and believe that the focus of the ``Week Without Violence'' will 
be a small but significant step in decreasing the scourge of violence 
in our society.

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