[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 138 (Wednesday, October 26, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11950-S11951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS 
                                 MONTH

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 282 and 
that the Senate proceed to its consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 282) supporting the goals and ideals 
     of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and expressing 
     the sense of the Senate that Congress should raise awareness 
     of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating 
     effects on families.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
and the preamble be agreed to en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid 
upon the table, and that any statements relating to the resolution be 
printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 282) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 282

       Whereas 2005 marks the 11th anniversary of the enactment of 
     the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-322, 
     108 Stat. 1902);
       Whereas since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act 
     of 1994, communities have made significant progress in 
     reducing domestic violence such that between 1993 and 2001, 
     the incidents of nonfatal domestic violence fell 49 percent;
       Whereas the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 cost $15.50 
     per woman to implement, and has been estimated to save $159 
     per woman, totaling a savings of nearly $14,800,000,000 since 
     its creation in averted costs of victimization;
       Whereas since it was created by the Violence Against Women 
     Act of 1994, the National Domestic Violence Hotline has been 
     used to answer over 1,000,000 calls;
       Whereas States have passed over 660 State laws pertaining 
     to domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault;
       Whereas the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 has helped 
     make strides toward breaking the cycle of violence, but there 
     remains much work to be done;
       Whereas the Senate recently passed the Violence Against 
     Women Act of 2005 which reauthorized critical components of 
     the original Act and established additional protections for 
     battered immigrants and victims of human trafficking in order 
     to further combat domestic violence and sexual assault;
       Whereas domestic violence affects women, men, and children 
     of all racial, social, religious, ethnic, and economic groups 
     in the United States;
       Whereas protecting the economic security of victims can 
     help break the cycle of domestic violence;
       Whereas abusers frequently seek to control their partners 
     by actively interfering with the ability of their partners to 
     work, including by preventing their partners from going to 
     work and harassing their partners at work;
       Whereas only 28 States and the District of Columbia have 
     laws that explicitly provide unemployment insurance to 
     victims of domestic violence under certain circumstances;
       Whereas, on average, more than 3 women are murdered by 
     their husbands or boyfriends in the United States every day;
       Whereas women who have been abused are much more likely to 
     suffer from chronic pain, diabetes, depression, unintended 
     pregnancies, substance abuse, and sexually transmitted 
     infections, including HIV/AIDS;
       Whereas only about 10 percent of primary care physicians 
     routinely screen for domestic violence during new patient 
     visits, and 9 percent routinely screen during periodic 
     checkups;
       Whereas each year, about 324,000 pregnant women in the 
     United States are battered by the men in their lives, leading 
     to pregnancy complications, such as low-weight gain, anemia, 
     infections, and first and second trimester bleeding;
       Whereas every 2 minutes, someone in the United States is 
     sexually assaulted;
       Whereas almost 25 percent of women surveyed had been raped 
     or physically assaulted by a spouse or boyfriend at some 
     point in their lives;
       Whereas in 2002 alone, 250,000 women and girls older than 
     the age of 12 were raped or sexually assaulted;
       Whereas 64 percent of women have reported being raped, 
     physically assaulted, or stalked since age 18 by their 
     current or former intimate partner;
       Whereas 1 out of every 12 women has been stalked in her 
     lifetime;
       Whereas approximately 503,000 women are stalked by an 
     intimate partner annually in the United States;
       Whereas the influence of cultural norms, economics, 
     language barriers, and limited access to legal services and 
     information may render some immigrant women particularly 
     vulnerable to abuse;
       Whereas 1 in 5 adolescent girls in the United States 
     becomes a victim of physical or sexual abuse, or both, in a 
     dating relationship;
       Whereas 40 percent of girls ages 14 to 17 report knowing 
     someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend;
       Whereas approximately 8,800,000 children in the United 
     States witness domestic violence each year;
       Whereas witnessing domestic violence increases the risk of 
     developing long-term physical and mental health problems, 
     future struggles with substance abuse, and experiencing 
     domestic abuse as a victim;

[[Page S11951]]

       Whereas a boy who witnesses his father's domestic violence 
     is 10 times more likely to engage in domestic violence than a 
     boy from a nonviolent home;
       Whereas almost 37 percent of all women who sought care in 
     hospital emergency rooms for violence-related injuries were 
     injured by a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or 
     girlfriend;
       Whereas the cost of domestic violence, including rape, 
     physical assault, and stalking, exceeds $5,800,000,000 each 
     year, of which $4,100,000,000 is spent on direct medical and 
     mental health care services;
       Whereas 44 percent of the mayors of the United States have 
     identified domestic violence as a primary cause of 
     homelessness;
       Whereas over 50 percent of abused women lose at least 3 
     days of work per month due to domestic violence, 60 percent 
     of battered women endure reprimands for arriving late to work 
     and displaying other work-related problems associated with 
     abuse, and 70 percent report difficulties in performing their 
     work due to the effects of domestic violence;
       Whereas existing statistical data suggests that forced 
     prostitution, trafficking for sex, and sex tourism has 
     increased throughout the world;
       Whereas the need to increase the public awareness and 
     understanding of domestic violence and the needs of battered 
     women and their children continues to exist;
       Whereas the month of October 2005 has been recognized as 
     National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a month for 
     activities furthering awareness of domestic violence; and
       Whereas the dedication and successes of those working 
     tirelessly to end domestic violence and the strength of the 
     survivors of domestic violence should be recognized: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Domestic 
     Violence Awareness Month; and
       (2) expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should 
     continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the 
     United States and its devastating impact on families.

                          ____________________