IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 931 
Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Day for the Elimination 
of Violence against Women. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 19, 2009 
Mr. CARSON of Indiana submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee 
on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Day 
for the Elimination of Violence against Women. 
Whereas, November 25, 2009, is recognized as the Inter-
national Day for the Elimination of Violence against 
Women; 
Whereas one out of every three women worldwide will be 
physically, sexually, or otherwise abused during her life-
time with rates reaching 70 percent in some countries; 
Whereas the right of women to be free from violence is inte-
gral to article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights; 
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•HRES 931 IH 
Whereas it is a public health epidemic and a barrier to solv-
ing global challenges such as extreme poverty, HIV/ 
AIDS, and conflict; 
Whereas it devastates the lives of millions of women and 
girls, in peacetime and in conflict, and knows no national 
or cultural barriers; 
Whereas physical abuse and rape is used as a weapon of war 
during times of conflict to achieve military objectives 
such as genocide, ethnic cleansing, spreading political ter-
ror, breaking the resistance of a community, intimidation, 
or to extract information; 
Whereas in Rwanda, up to half a million women were raped 
during the 1994 genocide; 
Whereas in Bosnia-Herzegovina, close to 60,000 women were 
raped during the war in which violence against women 
was used as a tool of ethnic cleansing; 
Whereas the trafficking of women has become a global phe-
nomenon where victims are sexually exploited, forced into 
labor, and subjected to abuse; 
Whereas according to the Violence Policy Center in 2007, in 
the United States there were 1,865 females murdered by 
males in single victim/single offender incidents that were 
submitted to the FBI for its Supplementary Homicide 
Report, an average of five women everyday; 
Whereas of all the women murdered in the United States, 
about one-third were killed by an intimate partner; 
Whereas according to the National Center for Injury Preven-
tion and Control, women in the United States experience 
about 4,800,000 intimate partner-related physical as-
saults and rapes every year; 
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•HRES 931 IH 
communities in the United States who suffer from isola-
tion and limited resources in situations of domestic and 
sexual violence due to the lack of cultural competency 
and bilingual and bicultural services; 
Whereas national statistics show that approximately one in 
four (23.4 percent) Latinas report that they have been 
abused at some point in their lifetime; 
Whereas the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence 
found that more than 50 domestic violence related deaths 
were reported in Indiana between July 2008 and June 
2009; 
Whereas in 2008, 34,736 new protective orders were filed in 
the Indiana registry; 
Whereas according to the Family Violence Prevention Fund, 
‘‘growing up in a violent home may be a terrifying and 
traumatic experience that can affect every aspect of a 
child’s life, growth and development. . . . children who 
have been exposed to family violence suffer symptoms of 
post-traumatic stress disorder, such as bed-wetting or 
nightmares, and were at greater risk than their peers of 
having allergies, asthma, gastrointestinal problems, head-
aches and flu.’’; 
Whereas in addition, women who experience physical abuse as 
children are at a greater risk of victimization as adults; 
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention esti-
mate that the cost of domestic violence in 2003 was more 
than over $8,300,000,000; 
Whereas this cost includes medical care, mental health serv-
ices, and lost productivity; 
Whereas according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence 
Programs, ‘‘domestic violence affecting LGBT individuals 
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continues to be grossly underreported . . . there is a lack 
of awareness and denial about the existence of this type 
of violence and its impact, both by LGBT people and 
non-LGBT people alike’’; 
Whereas myths regarding gender roles perpetuate the silence 
surrounding these abusive relationships, for example, the 
belief that there aren’t abusive lesbian relationships be-
cause women don’t abuse each other; 
Whereas shelters are often unequipped to handle the needs of 
lesbians (as a women-only shelter isn’t much defense 
against a female abuser), and transgendered individuals; 
Whereas statistics regarding domestic violence against les-
bian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people are 
unavailable at the national level, but as regional studies 
demonstrate, domestic violence is as much as a problem 
within LGBT communities as it is among heterosexual 
ones; and 
Whereas the people of the United States should be encour-
aged to participate in the International Day for the 
Elimination of Violence against Women: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of the Inter-
national Day for the Elimination of Violence against 
Women; 
(2) recognizes and honors the individuals and 
organizations in the United States and in other 
countries who have fought and continue to struggle 
to eliminate violence against women; and 
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(3) encourages the President to— 
(A) increase legal and judicial protection to 
address violence against women and girls; 
(B) increase health sector capacity to ad-
dress violence against women and girls; 
(C) change social norms to end violence 
against women and girls; 
(D) increase women’s economic oppor-
tunity and education; 
(E) address violence against women and 
girls in overseas conflict related humanitarian 
situations; and 
(F) issue a proclamation calling upon the 
people of the United States to observe the 
International Day for the Elimination of Vio-
lence against Women with appropriate pro-
grams and activities. 
Æ 
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