[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 31 (Thursday, March 11, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H1015]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                 SPEAKING OUT AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

  (Ms. CAPITO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against domestic 
violence. Domestic violence encompasses all acts of forceful behavior 
that one person uses to maintain control over another person. While we 
are taking steps to eradicate the threat of domestic abuse for women 
and children, unfortunately the statistics demonstrate the need for 
more community outreach, funding for prevention programs, and help from 
Congress.
  In my home State of West Virginia, there has been a 400 percent 
increase in the number of domestic violence complaints to our law 
enforcement agencies. I am committed to stopping violence against 
women. But women are not the only victims. Many times children are the 
victims. In our Nation, millions of children, 9 million children, have 
reported seeing violence in their home. These statistics are just an 
estimate, 9 million, but I believe one child is one too many. We need 
to take care of our children and ensure they are safe from violent 
crimes, particularly in their own homes.
  With a strong commitment from Members of Congress to work together to 
decrease domestic violence in our Nation, hopefully we will see a drop 
in the domestic violence statistics in the years to come.

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