[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 87 (Tuesday, June 22, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H4746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H4746]]
  SPEAKING OUT AGAINST ADMINISTRATION'S RECORD IN COMBATING VIOLENCE 
                             AGAINST WOMEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Majette) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. MAJETTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against this 
administration's deplorable record in combating violence against women. 
This administration has shown a very disappointing tendency to ignore 
the plight of mistreated women, both at home and abroad.
  Through actions taken by the President's cabinet, such as Attorney 
General Ashcroft's refusal to grant asylum to a battered Guatemalan 
woman, and the President's widespread cuts to domestic violence 
programs, this administration has much to answer for in its neglect of 
battered women.

                              {time}  2000

  It is, therefore, all the more important for Congress to remain 
vigilant and to protect our sisters all over the world from those who 
would mistreat them.
  The American Medical Association estimates that over 4 million women 
are victims of severe assaults by boyfriends and husbands each year, 
and about one out of every 4 women is likely to be abused by a partner 
in her lifetime. In 85 percent of reported domestic violence cases, the 
victim is female.
  Domestic violence against women is clearly an issue that our 
government must address head-on.
  It saddens me to think that millions of women continue to be abused 
each year, while this administration sits idly by, taking no initiative 
and, in some cases, decreasing resources available to battered women.
  It would shock the conscience of this Nation to know that this 
administration has placed individuals hostile to women's interests on 
expert advisory committees, including those responsible for providing 
advice on domestic violence and reproductive health. It simply reveals 
a disregard for the National Advisory Committee on Violence Against 
Women to appoint members to this body who represent organizations that 
have outspokenly criticized the Violence Against Women Act. Yet that is 
exactly what this administration has done.
  In addition, the President has refused to include protections for 
battered women in the marriage proposal programs that are integral to 
his welfare proposal, despite the risk that poor women could be 
pressured to remain in abusive relationships.
  Finally, this administration has proposed funding emergency shelters, 
crisis hotlines, and other domestic violence intervention services at 
26 percent below authorized levels. I am upset by all of these 
disturbing trends, but the last of them hits close to home.
  In the district that I represent, in DeKalb County, Georgia, there is 
a very successful domestic violence intervention center, the Women's 
Resource Center to End Domestic Violence. The Women's Resource Center's 
development has truly been a community effort. Established in 1986 by 
DeKalb County, the center was originally run by one part-time advocate 
who led support groups. Now, this center runs nine successful programs, 
including community education and advocacy, providing free legal 
services, and a 32-person occupancy emergency shelter. So what message 
is this administration sending to the Women's Resource Center when it 
refuses to fully fund such an organization and others like it around 
the country?
  As a former judge, I have seen the damage that domestic violence can 
cause to women and their children, and that is damage to our community 
and our future.
  In Congress, we can and must do more to ensure that local law 
enforcement can expeditiously deal with domestic violence. This is why 
I have cosponsored, and I call on my colleagues to support, the 
Domestic Violence Courts Assistance Act, which would provide the 
resources necessary for municipal court systems to develop and 
establish specialized domestic violence courts. I also urge my 
colleagues to support the Domestic Violence Screening, Treatment, and 
Prevention Act. This legislation would establish family violence 
research and education centers to study and disseminate information on 
family violence. These centers would then act as a critical support for 
local community domestic violence intervention centers.
  When we read the frightening statistics that illuminate the severity 
of this problem, how can we not be appalled? We are here as 
representatives of the American people, representatives of these very 
women; and what have we done as a Congress to help them? We have the 
opportunity to create better laws to aid them, yet precious little 
legislation has been past. We hold the purse strings of the Federal 
Government, yet we have not provided an adequate level of funding to 
supply the resources they need to escape their abusive relationships 
and lead safe lives. It is past time for this administration and this 
Congress to make a dedicated effort to relieve their suffering. It is 
never too late.

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