[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 161 (Tuesday, October 25, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1930]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING OCTOBER AS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 25, 2011

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize October as 
Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It is unacceptable that today, in 
this country, three women and one man will die at the hands of an 
intimate partner. One in four women will experience some sort of 
domestic violence in her lifetime. Fifteen and a half million children 
will witness domestic violence this year. In the face of such 
overwhelming statistics, it is in our moral fabric as a nation that we 
act to protect victims of domestic violence in our country.
  I am very proud of the progress we have made as a country since the 
Violence Against Women Act was first signed into law in 1994. VAWA was 
an historic step forward in our nation's response to sexual assault, 
domestic violence, stalking, and other forms of violence against women. 
Thanks to programs established by VAWA to respond to the needs of women 
who had been or could be victimized by violence, women are safer, 
perpetrators are held accountable, and society is less tolerant of 
violence against women. Over 60,000 victims of domestic violence 
receive services every day.
  VAWA-funded programs have unquestionably improved the national 
response to domestic violence. Since VAWA was first passed in 1994:
  More victims are coming forward and receiving lifesaving services to 
help them move from crisis to stability. There has been as much as a 
51% increase in reporting by women and a 37% increase in reporting by 
men.
  The number of individuals killed by an intimate partner has decreased 
by 34% for women and 57% for men and the rate of non-fatal intimate 
partner violence against women has decreased 53%.
  States have passed more than 660 laws to combat domestic violence, 
sexual assault and stalking.
  Staying at a shelter or working with a domestic violence advocate 
significantly reduces the likelihood that a victim will be abused again 
and improves the victim's quality of life.
  VAWA not only saves lives, it also saves money. In its first six 
years alone, VAWA saved taxpayers at least $14.8 billion in net averted 
social costs.
  A recent study found that civil protection orders saved one state 
(Kentucky) on average $85 million in a single year.
  We have come so far. But we must keep going. Reauthorizations of VAWA 
have addressed the unique needs of battered immigrants, sexual assault 
survivors, victims of dating violence, youth, elders, Indian women, 
individuals with disabilities, and child witnesses of violence. Now, 
VAWA needs to be reauthorized and updated again to better respond to 
the needs of women seeking health care treatment from domestic 
violence.
  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 
intimate partner violence costs the health care system over $8.3 
billion annually. Approximately 37% of women seeking injury-related 
treatment in hospital emergency rooms were there because of injuries 
inflicted by a current or former spouse or partner.
  VAWA has begun to address this issue--in the past two years, over 
3,000 providers from 100 clinical sites serving over 175,000 women have 
received training through VAWA to integrate assessment for abuse into 
health care settings. However, more can be done.
  These routine assessments need to be expanded so that providers no 
longer discharge a woman with only the presenting injuries being 
treated, leaving the underlying cause of those injuries unaddressed.
  It is also vital that we focus on researching the most effective 
interventions to prevent domestic violence, dating violence, and sexual 
assault, and improve the safety and health of individuals who are 
victimized. We must understand what makes health care interventions 
effective, what the factors are that increase resiliency for children 
exposed to violence and individuals who have lifetime exposure to 
violence and abuse; and which interventions work best within community 
health centers and adolescent health settings.
  When it comes to domestic violence, it is literally an issue of life 
or death. Thanks to strong action by past sessions of Congress, we have 
helped reduce the prevalence of domestic violence across the United 
States. Some may say the progress we have made over the years is ``good 
enough.'' However, ``good enough'' is neither ``good'' nor ``enough.''
  Currently, girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 are 
experiencing the highest rate of intimate partner violence, and one in 
three teens endure some kind of abuse in their romantic relationships. 
We cannot let our children and young adults face a life of domestic 
violence. By strengthening federal laws like VAWA, we can continue to 
help victims of domestic violence and do all that we can to reduce the 
prevalence of domestic violence in the United States.

                          ____________________