[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5535]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             UNITING IN THE FIGHT TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 5, 2003

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, on the 5th Annual 
National Lobby Day for The National Coalition Against Domestic 
Violence, to join my colleagues in speaking out against domestic 
violence, a brutal crime committed against millions of women. Domestic 
violence is the single largest cause of injury to women between the 
ages of fifteen and forty-four, more than muggings, car accidents and 
rapes combined.
  Mr. Speaker, women are losing their right to safety in their homes 
and in their communities. Women account for an alarming 85 percent of 
the victims of domestic violence. Each year between two to four million 
women are battered, and a substantial number of these battered women 
will die of their injuries.
  Devastatingly, because one in three women are likely to be abused by 
a partner or someone she knows, only half of all female victims report 
their injuries to the proper authorities. Women remain in grave fear of 
their lives and do not leave their violent relationships.
  Domestic violence is increasing at a disturbing rate. In my home 
state of Florida, which has an increasingly expanding immigrant 
population, battered women claim that they are in fear of reporting 
their violent relationships until their immigration concerns are 
addressed.
  These women, Mr. Speaker, are fed misinformation about United States 
laws and are faced with the threats of deportation by their abusers. 
Many of these women are overly dependent on their abusers because they 
face racial and language barriers. Others face cultural barriers and 
being a victim of domestic violence is considered taboo.
  Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in encouraging and supporting all 
victims of domestic abuse to seek help and to report all violent and 
criminal acts without being ashamed to do so. We must help prevent 
women from being ashamed and embarrassed and encourage them to report 
the abuse from these monsters.
  Further, I strongly encourage Congress and the Administration to 
support and pass legislation pertaining to health care and law 
enforcement in order to combat violence against women. The abuse of 
women is an all too common occurrence and the fight to prevent this 
crime must strengthen.

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