[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20904-20905]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

  Mr. KYL. Mr. President, there are a lot of problems that affect 
people around the world and in this country. Some go unmentioned and 
yet affect

[[Page 20905]]

millions of lives and are with us every day. One of those problems is 
the problem of domestic violence.
  I was so pleased that both the majority leader and the Democratic 
leader, this morning, began their official presentations in the Senate 
talking about the problem of domestic violence and the fact that the 
Senate, last week, unanimously passed a resolution which supports ``the 
goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month,'' which 
is this month of October, and expresses ``the sense of the Senate that 
Congress should raise awareness of domestic violence in the United 
States and its devastating effects on families.''
  Our message in passing this resolution is aimed both at a national 
audience as well as every individual who is a victim of domestic 
violence or who knows one. Their message is not a moment of silence, as 
is frequently the case but, rather, the message is: ``It's time to 
talk.'' And all around the country--indeed, the world--this message is 
being conveyed today and for the remainder of this month.
  I want to thank Marie Claire magazine, for example, and organizations 
that are promoting this theme: ``It's time to talk.'' And why is that 
important? Because as almost anyone who understands the problem of 
domestic violence knows, the biggest reason the problem remains with us 
is that it is kept a secret.
  People are ashamed or afraid to talk, to begin the conversation that 
would confront and, therefore, solve the problem. That is why ``It's 
time to talk'' is so important. It is not just the victims who should 
talk, it is society as a whole.
  As the resolution states:

       There is a need to increase the public awareness about and 
     understanding of domestic violence and the needs of battered 
     women and their children.

  It is hard to convey the sense of this problem talking statistics, 
but I think it is important that we understand the magnitude of the 
problem, not in terms of human suffering with individual stories but to 
understand the statistics of how serious the problem is. We have made 
progress to be sure, but it is still a very serious problem.
  An average of more than three women are murdered by their husbands or 
boyfriends in the United States every day, and someone in the United 
States is sexually assaulted every 2 minutes each year. Each year, 
about 342,000 pregnant women in the United States are battered by the 
men in their lives, leading to pregnancy complications, including low 
weight gain, anemia, infections, and many others. In 2002 alone, 
250,000 women and girls older than the age of 12 were raped or sexually 
assaulted, a quarter of a million women. One out of every 12 women has 
been stalked in her lifetime.
  It is an issue not only for today's generation but for children 
because nearly 9 million witness domestic violence every day. This 
obviously creates a risk factor in their lives for having long-term 
physical and mental health problems, including substance abuse, being a 
victim of abuse, and becoming a perpetrator of abuse. A boy who 
witnesses his father's domestic violence is 10 times more likely to 
engage in domestic violence than a boy from a nonviolent home. Forty 
percent of girls ages 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has 
been hit or beaten by a boyfriend. One in five adolescent girls in the 
United States becomes a victim of physical or sexual abuse or both in a 
dating relationship.
  The cost is devastating. The real cost is the emotional and 
psychological harm that occurs to victims of domestic violence and to 
their families. But there is also a staggering cost to society. As we 
noted in the resolution adopted in the Senate, the cost of domestic 
violence, including rape, physical assault, and stalking, exceeds $5.8 
billion each year, of which $4.1 billion is spent on direct medical and 
mental health care services.
  The problem exists in my State of Arizona. Just to cite a couple 
statistics: 81 of the 440 homicides reported in Arizona in the year 
2003 were a result of domestic and/or dating violence; this year, as of 
September 8, there were 61 domestic violence-related deaths reported; 
in the year 2002, every 5 minutes police responded to a call involving 
domestic violence; every 19 minutes an arrest was made as a result of a 
domestic violence incident; and every 36 minutes police were called to 
the scene of domestic violence where children were present. In that 
same year, 91 law enforcement agencies in Arizona reported a total of 
over 112,000 calls to service for domestic violence. Of those calls, 
there were a total of 26,000 arrests made.
  I conclude by acknowledging the dedication of all the people 
tirelessly working behind the scenes to try to end domestic violence 
and to deal with the crisis of strengthening the survivors of domestic 
violence.
  I have toured centers in Arizona--for example, city centers against 
family violence in Mesa, Glendale, and Scottsdale, all leading the way. 
We have raised money and dedicated sites for the Autumn House Domestic 
Violence Shelter, Chrysalis Shelter, the Center Against Sexual Abuse, 
ChildHelp USA, and the Sexual Assault Recovery Institute, and many 
others. I thank all of them for their efforts in trying to deal with 
this important crisis.
  I also thank those of my colleagues who have been involved in this 
effort: my colleague Dianne Feinstein, who has worked so tirelessly in 
this effort in trying to provide help for victims of crime, for 
example; Senator Biden, who was one of the authors of the resolution 
about which I spoke earlier. There are others who will come to the 
floor of the Senate throughout the morning either to provide statements 
or to deliver them here noting the nature of the problem.
  It is fitting that this month is designated as National Domestic 
Violence Awareness Month. It is fitting that our resolution passed in 
the Senate notes that we should raise awareness of domestic violence in 
the United States and its devastating effects on families, as I said in 
the beginning. In order to solve this problem, we have to begin by 
acknowledging it and confronting it. It is indeed time to talk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.

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