[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 31, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1971]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        COMMEMORATING NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HILDA L. SOLIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 31, 2001

  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark an important yet often 
overlooked month in our nation's landscape National Domestic Violence 
Awareness Month.
  Each year, nearly 2 million women are victims of domestic violence. 
In fact, in the time that it takes me to complete this speech, eight 
women will have suffered some form of mental, physical or sexual abuse.
  The problem of domestic violence is one that I have fought for many 
years.
  In my district--the 31th district of California--domestic violence is 
a widespread phenomenon. When I first took office as state legislator 
in 1992, there were more shelters in my district for abused animals 
than there were for abused women.
  But through the vigilant work and determination of our law 
enforcement agencies and the community, we've worked to reverse that 
trend. Today, we have a number of excellent shelters and non-profit 
organizations designed to help battered families rebuild their lives.
  As pleased as I am that the shelters exist, though, I am still 
disappointed. Yes, every person who is the victim of domestic violence 
deserves as much help as possible to escape their current situation and 
find a better, more loving environment. But no one deserves to be 
placed in such a horrendous situation to begin with.
  We as a nation have made remarkable strides in domestic violence 
legislation. We prosecute criminals. We assist victims with finding 
transitional housing. We help train battered housewives to reenter the 
workforce. These are all admirable actions. But we can and must do 
more.
  We must work harder to ferret out the root cause of domestic 
violence. We know that children of batterers are more likely to become 
batterers themselves. We must work to ensure that these children have 
the necessary counseling to combat any such violent urges.
  We know that immigrant women who are battered are much less likely to 
leave their abusers because they fear being deported. We must eliminate 
immigration barriers that prevent these women from getting help.
  And we know that nearly one million women each year are victims of 
stalking. We must strengthen anti-stalking laws to protect women before 
violence enters the picture.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in this commitment to eradicating 
domestic violence in our great nation, not only with our words but also 
with our deeds.

                          ____________________