Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Floor Speech

Ms. MOORE. I'm here today to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

I wear my purple ribbon because I'm incredibly supportive of the goals of this commemorative month and yet painfully aware that domestic violence does not confine itself to one singular month. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage all of us to keep our focus on this pernicious issue year round.

It's not an exaggeration to say that domestic violence is an epidemic in this country. It affects nearly one in four women. This violence has far-reaching effects, not just for women and sometimes men who experience it, but for their families, including their children, as well as their employers and their communities, for generation after generation.

The statistics and stories from my home State of Wisconsin provide a small snapshot of the impact of this violence. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families reports that between October 1, 2009, and September 30, 2010, nearly 41,000 women, children, and men received services from domestic violence victim service providers in Wisconsin. And over 6,600 people sought refuge in a domestic violence shelter.

The Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence publishes an annual homicide report detailing domestic violence-related homicides. They've done this since 2000. And in this time span, at least 532 people have lost their lives in incidents related to domestic violence.

Last year, in 2010, there were 39 domestic violence homicide incidents resulting in 58 deaths, 51 homicides and seven perpetrator suicides. These deaths represent nearly one-third of all homicides in 2010 in Wisconsin. Victims in these incidents came from 17 counties across the State and included both the young and the old--the youngest was less than 1 year old and the oldest was 87 years old. And as a result of these homicides, at least 12 children were left orphaned or without a mother.

In Milwaukee County, where the Fourth Congressional District is located, there were 21 domestic violence-related homicides last year. And they include Mae Helm, 58, brutally stabbed by her boyfriend in her own apartment; Shannon Dorsey, 44, strangled with a belt by her boyfriend, age 46; and Sabrina Junior, 43 years old, who was stabbed to death by her partner while the couple's 11-year-old daughter cowered in a closet with her two younger sisters. Children are too often left with neither parents nor appropriate treatment for the collateral damage of domestic violence.

As cochair of the Congressional Caucus of Women's Issues and a longtime supporter of domestic violence-related legislation--and as a survivor of domestic violence--I want to take this opportunity to reiterate my pledge to work towards greater, stronger, and more public policy initiatives to meet the overwhelming need that remains for victim services and a range of domestic violence programs. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same.

We simply cannot continue to stand by and tolerate the ongoing funding gap for victim services while lives are at risk. Three women a day die as a result of domestic violence. We must continue to maximize our opportunities for intervening in ways that fit individual victims' needs. We need culturally competent services. We need services for children. And we must make the most of every opportunity for education and advocacy and prevention services. I sure hope my colleagues will join me this month and every month in the fight to support victims of domestic violence through funding more programming.

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