H. Res. 1637 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

September 28, 2010. 

Whereas domestic violence affects people of all ages as well 

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

Whereas females are disproportionately victims of domestic 

violence; 

Whereas 6 in 10 Native American women will be physically 

assaulted in their lifetimes; 

Whereas on average, more than 3 women are murdered by 

their husbands or boyfriends in the United States every 

day; 

Whereas approximately 40 to 60 percent of men who abuse 

women also abuse children; 

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 a 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; 
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Whereas women ages 16 to 24 experience the highest rates, 

per capita, of intimate partner violence; 

Whereas approximately 1 in 3 adolescent girls in the United 

States is a victim of physical, emotional, or verbal abuse 

from a dating partner, a figure that far exceeds victimization rates for other types of violence affecting youth; 

Whereas teen girls who are physically and sexually abused 

are up to 6 times more likely to become pregnant, and 

more than 2 times as likely to report a sexually transmitted disease, than teen girls who are not abused; 

Whereas 1,500,000 high school students nationwide experienced physical abuse from a dating partner in a single 

year; 

Whereas young people who are physically abused perform 

worse in school; 

Whereas adolescent girls who reported dating violence were 

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

Whereas primary prevention programs are a key part of addressing teen dating violence, and many successful community examples include education, community outreach, 

and social marketing campaigns that account for the cultural appropriateness of programs; 

Whereas one-quarter to one-half 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 over 

7,900,000 paid workdays lost per year; 
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Whereas according to the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, in 2003, the costs of intimate partner violence exceed $8,300,000,000 and $1,200,000,000 in the 

value of lost lives; 

Whereas even 5 years after the abuse has ended, health care 

costs of women with a history of intimate partner violence remain 20 percent higher than those for women 

with no history of violence; 

Whereas in addition to the immediate trauma caused by 

abuse, domestic violence contributes to a number of 

chronic health problems, including depression, alcohol, 

substance abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases such 

as HIV/AIDS, and often limits the ability of women to 

manage other chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension; 

Whereas men are the perpetrators in at least 85 percent of 

domestic violence cases and prevention programs should 

address their needs; 

Whereas research demonstrates that men are willing to help 

prevent violence against women, particularly through 

shaping the attitudes of younger men and boys; 

Whereas a multi-State study shows that domestic violence 

shelters are addressing victims’ urgent and long-term 

needs and are helping victims protect themselves and 

their children; 

Whereas there is a need to increase funding for 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 
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Resolved, That— 

(1) the House of Representatives— 

(A) supports the goals and ideals of National 

Domestic Violence Awareness Month; and 

(B) recognizes the National Safe Child Initiative as an awareness-raising campaign to educate 

the public about the prevalence and problem of 

child abuse, and commends the National Safe Child 

Coalition for bringing awareness to and working to 

protect children from batterers; and 

(2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives 

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. 

Attest: 

Clerk.