[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 162 (Wednesday, October 26, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1933-E1934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 26, 2011

  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I will begin by thanking 
Congressman Al Green and Congressman Ted Poe for organizing this 
evening's Special Order in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
  As a Senior Member of the Judiciary Committee, I believe we need 
stronger laws to protect survivors of abuse and their families. In 
1994, I was an original co-sponsor of the Violence Against Women's Act 
(VAWA) which was a landmark piece of legislation that sought to improve 
the criminal justice system and community-based response to domestic 
violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in the United 
States. In addition, we must do more to address the causes of domestic 
abuse and to aid the victims of this violence.
  Domestic Violence Awareness Month serves as an important reminder 
about this important issue. It is a travesty that domestic violence is 
one of the most underreported crimes in our country. 1 out of every 4 
women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. This is an 
epidemic that does not discriminate based on age, race, religion or 
gender.
  Across the country there are non profits, community based 
organizations, and religious groups that are diligently working to 
address all the issues that rise from domestic violence. One such 
organization is the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and 
another is in my hometown of Houston, TX, the Houston Area Women's 
Center.
  I sat on the board of the Houston Area Women's Center and I witnessed 
firsthand the challenges they faced when addressing the needs of men, 
women, and children who are the victims of violence.
  According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) 
85 percent of all domestic violence victims are women. It is disturbing 
that every 9 seconds a woman in the United States is assaulted or 
beaten; more often than not she knows her abuser.
  The numbers are alarming, between 2001 and 2005, about 63 percent of 
nonfatal intimate partner victimization against women occurred at home, 
9.4 percent of these attacks were near home and 11.1 percent of the 
abuse occurred at a friend or neighbor's home.
  The aggressors were often intimate partners, relatives, friends, 
acquaintances and even strangers. Every year nearly 5.3 million women 
over the age of 18 will be the victims of domestic violence. According 
to a report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, this 
violence will result in nearly 2 million injuries and 1,300 deaths.


                HOUSTON TX--A STORY OF ABUSE AND TORTURE

  For many years a Houston woman endured abuse at the hands of her 
husband Gregory. After gaining the courage to leave him, Gregory 
continued to stalk and threaten her. Then one afternoon, Gregory 
kidnapped this mother and for 17 hours she would endure torture. She 
fought as Gregory strapped her to a bed with extension cords. That 
night, she survived multiple beatings. This was not the end of her 
ordeal. Gregory used a lighter and a can of hairspray as an accelerant 
to burn her breasts and her genitals. All while their one year old sat 
in the next room. This monster stuffed her mouth with a rag to muffle 
her screams. Fortunately, she was able to escape. Incidents like this 
must be prevented. What made an already tragic situation even more so, 
was once apprehended Gregory was charged with a lesser crime of abuse 
of a relative. I call for stronger laws to address the pervasive issue 
of domestic violence.
  According to the Houston Area Woman's Center in 2010, 142 women were 
murdered in Texas by an abusive partner. The youngest of these victims 
was only 17 years old and the oldest victim was 78. In 2007, the Center 
served over 2,800 survivors of domestic violence and answered almost 
39,000 calls regarding domestic violence.
  In the State of Texas, at least 74 percent of Texans know someone who 
has experience some form of physical, sexual, or verbal abuse. Yet, 
these incidents remain underreported. It is my hope that Domestic 
Violence Awareness month will give voice to the victims of violence.
  I hope this month more victims will come forward to face their 
attackers in a court of law. And I hope these brave men and women will 
find the support they need. Because the effects of domestic abuse exist 
long after the physical scars have healed. The psychological effects of 
domestic violence are deep seated. 60 percent of battered women report 
problems with depression. Additionally, suicide rates amongst victims 
are sky rocketing and a growing number of victims display symptoms of 
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This is the sort of disorder we 
normally associate with troops who return home after surviving the 
horrors of war.


                         The Impact on Children

  Domestic violence affects every member of the family, including the 
children. These home environments leave children living in constant 
fear. It is not a surprise that these children, who bear witness to 
violence at home, are themselves at greater risk for abuse and neglect. 
Studies show that child abuse occurs in 30 to 60 percent of family 
violence cases that involve families with children. (J.L. Edleson, 
``The overlap between child maltreatment and woman battering.'' 
Violence Against Women, February, 1999.)
  The numbers of children who live in violent homes is alarming. Each 
year an estimated 3.3 million children are exposed to violence against 
their mothers or female caretakers by family members. (American 
Psychological Association, Violence and the Family: Report of the APA 
Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, 1996)
  These young people suffer both physically and emotionally. A study by 
Ackerman and Pikering found that families under stress produce children 
under stress. If a spouse is being abused and there are children 
present, the children are undeniably influenced by the abuse. These 
children are affected in ways similar to children who have experienced 
physical abuse. They are often unable to establish nurturing bonds with 
either parent.
  We must do more to protect victims of violence. As you know a child 
who experiences abuse or neglect is more likely to have developmental 
delays and impaired language or cognitive skills; to be identified as a 
``problem'' child (with attention difficulties or challenging 
behaviors); to be arrested for delinquency, adult criminality, and 
violent criminal behavior; to experience depression, anxiety, or other 
mental health problems as adults; engage in more health-risk behaviors 
as adults; and have poorer health outcomes as adults.
  These children through no fault of their own are undergoing a trauma. 
As a result they are more likely to develop social, emotional, 
psychological and or behavioral problems than those who are not. Recent 
research indicates that children who witness domestic violence show 
more anxiety, low self esteem, depression, anger and temperament 
problems than children who do not witness violence in the home.
  The trauma experienced by children can show up in emotional, 
behavioral, social and physical disturbances that effect their 
development and can continue well into their adulthood. It is well 
documented that children who witness violence in the home grow up to 
repeat the same patterns as adults and men who have witnessed their 
parents' domestic violence are three times as likely to abuse their own 
wives. The National Institute for Justice reports that being abused as 
a child increases the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 53 percent 
and as an adult by 38 percent.


                         Impact on the Economy

  Domestic violence has a negative impact on both families and the 
economy. The victims of domestic violence lose about 8 million paid 
work days per year in the United States alone. This is the equivalent 
of 32,000 full-time jobs. These instances of violence cannot continue. 
The first step towards remedying the issue is to raise awareness. I 
stand here today in support of the victims of domestic violence.
  However, we must remember that government alone is not the only 
answer to improving the lives of survivors and victims of domestic 
violence in our nation. Partnerships between schools, businesses, 
parents, and other community entities are useful tools to address the 
issues that arise from domestic violence. We must support actions that 
enrich our communities and to ensure that the victims and survivors 
have the support they need.
  Again, I am honored to be a part of this effort, and applaud all my 
colleagues who are involved in supporting Domestic Violence Awareness 
Month.

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