[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19584]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, statistics show that a woman is raped 
every five minutes in the United States and that one in every three 
adult women experiences at least one physical assault by a partner 
during adulthood. In fact, more women are injured by domestic violence 
each year than by automobile accidents and cancer deaths combined.
  October, as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, is a good time to take 
a serious look at the progress we've made in addressing the problem of 
abuse against women in our communities. In 1983, I introduced 
legislation in the South Dakota State Legislature to use marriage 
license fees to help fund domestic abuse shelters. At that time, 
thousands of South Dakota women and children were in need of shelters 
and programs to help them. However, few people wanted to acknowledge 
that domestic abuse occurred in their communities, or even in their 
homes.
  During the last 7 years, I have led efforts in the United States 
Congress to authorize the original Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, 
and, most recently, expand and improve the program to assist rural 
communities. South Dakota has received over $8 million in VAWA funds 
for women's' shelters and family violence prevention services. In 
addition the law has doubled prison time for repeat sex offenders, 
established mandatory restitution to victims of violence against women, 
and strengthened interstate enforcement of violent crimes against 
women. South Dakotans can also call a nationwide toll-free hotline for 
immediate crisis intervention help and free referrals to local 
services. The number for women to call for help is 1-800-799-SAFE.
  In South Dakota last year, over 5,500 women were provided assistance 
in domestic violence shelters and outreach centers thanks, in part, to 
VAWA funds. While I am pleased that we have made significant progress 
in getting resources to thousands of South Dakota women in need, it is 
important to look beyond the numbers. Fifty-five hundred neighbors, 
sisters, daughters, and wives in South Dakota were victimized by abuse 
last year. Thousands of other women are abused and don't seek help. We 
must also recognize that the problem is multiplied on the reservations 
where Native American women are abused at two and a half times the 
national rate and are more than twice as likely to be rape victims as 
any other race of women.
  The words of a domestic abuse survivor may best illustrate the need 
to remain vigilant in Congress and in our communities on preventing 
domestic abuse. A woman from my State wrote me and explained that she 
was abused as a child, raped as a teenager, and emotionally abused as a 
wife. Her grandchildren were also abused. In her letter, she pleaded: 
``Don't let another woman go through what I went through, and please 
don't let another child go through what my grandchildren have gone 
through. You can make a difference.'' We all can make a difference by 
protecting women from violence and abuse.

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