[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 146 (Friday, September 28, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2016]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS 
                                 MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 25, 2007

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today in support of 
H. Res. 590, which supports the goals and ideals of domestic violence 
awareness month and expresses that Congress should continue to raise 
awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating 
effects on families and communities.
  Domestic violence is a serious and pervasive problem in America and 
throughout the world. According to the Family Violence Prevention Fund, 
estimates on the number of incidents of violence against a current or 
former spouse range from 960,000 to 3 million each year; and more than 
3 women are murdered by their husband or boyfriend in America every 
day.
  Without question, these statistics are alarming and must be taken 
seriously. I truly believe that together, we can eliminate domestic 
violence from homes across the country and ensure that our children 
grow up in a healthy and peaceful environment.
  In order to achieve this change, Congress must continue to pass laws 
that protect the rights of victims and punish their abusers. In 1994, 
Congress passed Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, which provided an 
additional $1.6 billion to enhance investigation and prosecution of 
violent crimes against women and allowed civil redress in cases 
prosecutors chose to leave unprosecuted. The results from this 
legislation are tangible and encouraging, between 1993 and 2004, 
domestic violence in the United States declined significantly, with 
nonfatal incidents dropping more than 50 percent, according to data 
from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Nonfatal incidents of intimate 
partner violence fell from 5.8 per 1,000 residents in 1993 to 2.6 
victimizations per 1,000 in 2005.
  In 2005, I worked with my colleagues to make further improvements to 
VAWA by also recognizing male victims of domestic violence and sexual 
assault. In its current form VAWA has so profoundly changed the way our 
Government prosecutes these crimes that the National Organization of 
Women heralded the bill as ``the greatest breakthrough in civil rights 
for women in nearly two decades.''
  Today, as we recognize National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we 
must remember that there is still plenty of work to do to eradicate 
domestic violence from our homes and communities.

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