III 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 663 

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness 

Month and expressing the sense of the Senate that Congress should 

continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the United States 

and its devastating effects on families and communities, and support 

programs designed to end domestic violence. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2010 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. SPECTER, Mr. 

KOHL, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. 

FRANKEN, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. HATCH, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. FEINGOLD, and Mrs. BOXER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and expressing the sense of the 

Senate that Congress should continue to raise awareness 

of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating effects on families and communities, and support programs designed to end domestic violence. 

Whereas National Domestic Violence Awareness Month will 

be observed during October 2010; 

Whereas domestic violence affects people of all ages and all 

racial, ethnic, gender, economic, and religious backgrounds; 


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Whereas females are disproportionately victims of domestic 

violence, and 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence at some point in her life; 

Whereas, on average, more than 3 women are murdered by 

their husbands or boyfriends in the United States every 

day; 

Whereas, in 2007, 1,640 women were murdered by an intimate partner, and were the victims of 70 percent of all 

intimate partner homicides that year; 

Whereas women from 16 to 24 years of age experience the 

highest rates, per capita, of intimate partner violence; 

Whereas 1 out of 3 Native American women will be raped 

and 6 out of 10 will be physically assaulted in their lifetimes; 

Whereas, in 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that the costs of intimate partner violence exceeded $8,300,000,000, including the cost of 

medical care, mental health services, and lost productivity; 

Whereas 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 of domestic violence victims report that 

they have lost a job due, at least in part, to domestic violence; 

Whereas the annual cost of lost productivity due to domestic 

violence is estimated at $727,800,000 with more than 

7,900,000 paid workdays lost per year; 

Whereas some landlords deny housing to victims of domestic 

violence who have protection orders or evict victims of domestic violence who seek help after a domestic violence 

incident, such as by calling 911, or who have other indications that they are domestic violence victims; 


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Whereas 92 percent of homeless women experience severe 

physical or sexual abuse at some point in their lifetimes; 

Whereas approximately 40 to 60 percent of men who abuse 

women also abuse children; 

Whereas it is critical to ensure that children who are exposed 

to domestic violence are placed in the protective care of 

a responsible and loving parent or guardian; 

Whereas a study of over 17,000 adults by the Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente 

found that children who live with their abusers are at 

high risk for grave medical, psychological, and behavioral 

disorders and even death; 

Whereas approximately 15,500,000 children are exposed to 

domestic violence every year; 

Whereas children exposed to domestic violence are more likely 

to attempt suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away 

from home, and engage in teenage prostitution; 

Whereas one large study found that men exposed to physical 

abuse, sexual abuse, and adult domestic violence as children were almost 4 times more likely than other men to 

have perpetrated domestic violence as adults; 

Whereas nearly 1,500,000 high school students nationwide 

experienced physical abuse from a dating partner in a 

single year; 

Whereas 13 percent of teenage girls who have been in a relationship report being hit or hurt by their partners and 

1 in 4 teenage girls has been in a relationship in which 

she was pressured by her partner into performing sexual 

acts; 


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Whereas adolescent girls who reported dating violence were 

60 percent more likely to report one or more suicide attempts in the past year; 

Whereas there is a need for middle schools, secondary 

schools, and post-secondary schools to educate students 

about the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; 

Whereas 88 percent of men in a national poll reported that 

they think that our society should do more to respect 

women and girls; 

Whereas a multi-State study shows conclusively that the domestic violence shelters in the United States are addressing urgent and long-term needs of victims and are helping victims protect themselves and their children; 

Whereas a 2009 National Census Survey reported that 

65,321 adults and children were served by domestic violence shelters and programs around the United States in 

a single day and those same understaffed programs were 

unable to meet 9,280 requests for help on that same day; 

Whereas there is a need to support programs aimed at intervening and preventing domestic violence in the United 

States; and 

Whereas individuals and organizations that are dedicated to 

preventing and ending domestic violence should be recognized: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of National 

3 Domestic Violence Awareness Month; and 

4 (2) expresses the sense of the Senate that Con5 gress should continue to raise awareness of domestic 


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1 violence in the United States and its devastating ef2 fects on families and communities, and support pro3 grams designed to end domestic violence. 

Æ 


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