[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 139 (Wednesday, October 8, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H8693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Strickland] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STRICKLAND. Mr. Speaker, I stand today to speak about a silent 
crime that victimizes 1.8 million individuals annually, most often in 
the place where they should be the most safe and secure, in their 
homes. This criminal act is multifaceted and nondiscriminatory in 
choosing its victims. It knows no boundaries of age, race, social 
class, income level or education. Its predominant traits are those of 
emotional and physical abuse. I am speaking of domestic violence.
  In recent years an increasing number of new stories involving public 
figures both as victims and as perpetrators of domestic violence have 
raised our awareness of this problem. Through media coverage we are 
slowly beginning to realize the massive extent of this crime which is 
most often committed in secret. Although these stories are difficult to 
comprehend and painful to hear, we all need to be aware that this 
tragedy is more prevalent than we think and more horrible than we can 
even imagine.
  Sometimes the evidence of this abuse is obvious. At other times it 
goes undetected and leaves its victims suffering in silence. 
Unfortunately, this problem still seems to be very distant to most of 
us until someone we know becomes a victim.
  A few years ago in Hillsboro, Ohio I met a young woman who was in the 
process of rebuilding her life after the end of a very violent 
marriage. She returned to school, received her high school diploma and 
found a combination of jobs to support herself and her young child.
  I was impressed that this self-assured woman had shown such 
incredible strength by removing herself and her child from a dangerous, 
intolerable situation. But only a few weeks after I met her, I learned 
that she had been killed by her estranged husband as she approached the 
Highland County Courthouse. She was on her way to seek legal protection 
from the man she had married, who on that awful night became her 
killer.
  This incident impressed upon me the heartbreaking circumstances that 
many victims, usually women and children, are subjected to every day 
all over this country. Unfortunately, many victims feel that they do 
not have the resources and the support available to remove themselves 
from such threatening and dangerous situations, and all too often, even 
if they can escape the immediate circumstances, they remain potential 
victims.
  Thankfully, domestic violence is being driven from the shadows and 
exposed for the heinous crime that it is. Many individuals and groups 
now focus their energies on seeking ways to prevent domestic violence 
and to reach out to the victims and their families.
  In my district a community-wide domestic violence protocol is being 
developed. This will help outline how agencies can handle the incidents 
of domestic violence in a cooperative way. Our hope is that we can 
establish a stronger effort to break this cycle of violence. I am proud 
of the fact that in one of the counties in my district, Highland 
County, Ohio, men and women have joined together to help those in need.

                              {time}  1745

  They are committed to reassuring victims of domestic violence that 
they are not alone and that hope is available.
  At the Federal level, the Department of Justice has developed 
programs that train law enforcement officers, emergency room attendants 
and family physicians on how to recognize a domestic violence situation 
and how to appropriately assist victims who have suffered from this 
crime. All of these local, State and Federal efforts are working to 
reach victims like the young mother who recently and unnecessarily lost 
her life.
  Preventing domestic violence is a task to which all of us should be 
absolutely committed. I applaud all individuals and groups, especially 
my constituents in Hillsboro, Ohio, who are working to combat this 
despicable crime.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Smith] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  [Mr. SMITH of Michigan addressed the House. His remarks will appear 
hereafter in the Extensions of Remarks.]

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