[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 4061-4062]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ferguson). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to switch subjects for a 
moment to talk about another matter during this month of women's 
history. As the Republican chair of the Congressional Women's Caucus, I 
would like to take the opportunity to discuss an issue that affects 
thousands of women each year, violence against women.
  There are two types of violence against women that need to be 
addressed: domestic violence and sexual assault. Scratch the surface of 
any of our Nation's most challenging social problems, from crime in the 
schools to gang violence and homelessness, and you are likely to find a 
root cause of domestic violence.
  Law enforcement officials are reporting that domestic violence 
situations are among their most frequent calls. Judges find that 
children first seen in their courts as victims of domestic violence 
return later as adult criminal defendants. Schools are noticing that 
children with emotional problems often come from an environment where 
violence is the norm.
  Violence begets violence, and we must break the cycle. We have begun 
to address the problem, but there is still much work to be done. 
Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act in the 106th Congress was 
a giant step in the right direction.
  Since it passed in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act has been 
effective. In fact, the Justice Department estimates that violence 
against women has decreased by 21 percent since the law was originally 
passed. The law also has been credited with providing shelter space for 
more than 300,000 women and their families.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend my many colleagues here in the 
House who supported and fought for this important legislation, both in 
1994 and the reauthorization last year. I am proud that reauthorization 
received such strong bipartisan support, and I am hopeful that our 
future efforts to address this tremendous problem will receive similar 
levels of support from both sides of the aisle.
  The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act brought much-
needed attention to these issues, attention that will be translated 
into greater public awareness of this issue and a greater public 
commitment to solving the problems of violence against women.
  But another particular area of violence against women that needs more 
congressional attention is sexual assault. The statistics on this issue 
are staggering. A rape occurs every 90 seconds, and estimates show that 
one out of every three women will be sexually assaulted in her 
lifetime.
  Seven out of every 10 rapes are committed by someone the victim 
knows. Seventy-six percent of the women over 18 who are raped and/or 
physically assaulted are assaulted by a current or former husband, 
cohabitating partner or date.
  What can we do to address this horrendous problem? We must talk about 
it. We must raise public awareness. For

[[Page 4062]]

years, these problems have been swept under the table, and women have 
been hesitant about talking about them in public or even reporting 
them.
  I am thankful that this trend is in reverse and the public is 
becoming more outraged about these heinous crimes against women. We, as 
leaders, must be willing to bring more attention to the fight against 
sexual assault and domestic violence.
  By focusing public attention on these acts of brutality against 
women, we can raise public awareness. We can make a difference. We have 
already seen positive effects of the Violence Against Women Act, but 
that is just a start.
  As the month of March draws to a close, I would like to point out 
that the month of April is nationally known as National Sexual Assault 
Awareness Month. I would like to see this designation made official.
  Officially designating April as National Sexual Assault Awareness 
Month would raise public awareness. Violence against women is a large, 
unrecognized and all-too-often ignored problem in all of our 
communities. The costs of these violent acts is borne not only by the 
women who experience it, but by their families, communities and our 
Nation as a whole.
  This is a national issue, and it must receive national attention. We 
must continue our congressional commitment to making our streets and 
homes safe for women and children.

                          ____________________