[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16556]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          IN RECOGNITION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 30, 2013

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, October is Domestic Violence Awareness 
Month, during which we take actions to address domestic abuse and 
encourage people to speak up and seek help. It is when everyone can 
join in the efforts led by the National Coalition Against Domestic 
Violence to end the violence and keep our communities safe.
  Domestic violence is a major issue that affects our society as a 
whole. Many families live day to day with some form of abuse as their 
reality. Millions of domestic violence incidents are reported each 
year, and many more go undocumented. While domestic violence is not 
gender specific, women are the most common group affected by domestic 
abuse. One in four women experience domestic violence in their life and 
in New York State alone, 85 percent of the victims of domestic violence 
in 2010 were women.
  In New York City, the NYPD responded to more than 263,000 domestic 
violence calls last year. To put that into perspective that would be 
about 700 reports of domestic violence a day or one every two minutes. 
I am dedicated to making the community safer for my constituents; 
recently I co-sponsored the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act 
of 2013, which was signed into law by President Obama on March 7, 2013. 
The law addresses the major issue of domestic violence and makes huge 
strides to help put an end to it. Through the renewal of the 1994 
legislation, victims of abuse will have access to resources they need 
to find help, and law enforcement will be better prepared to respond 
faster than ever. It is important that we foster an environment where 
people do not fear to leave an abusive situation.
  I commend the outstanding work of our community organizations in 
addressing this problem: The Harlem Community Justice Center, New York 
City Family Justice Centers, STEPS to End Family Violence, Sanctuary 
for Families, The New York Latinas Against Domestic Violence, The New 
York City Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services 
(24-Hour Hotline: 1-800-621-HOPE), The Center against Domestic Violence 
of New York (24-Hour Hotline: 1-718-439-1000), The Office for the 
Prevention of Domestic Violence (New York State Hotline: 1-800-942-
6906, and Safe Horizon (800)-621-HOPE (4673), have all done incredible 
work in providing invaluable assistance to the victims of domestic 
violence and in raising awareness.
  If you are a victim of domestic violence please raise your voice and 
get help. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of the resources 
listed above. We as a community support you and we will fight domestic 
violence together.

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