Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Floor Speech

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Ms. SPEIER. I thank my colleague, and thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green) for hosting this Special Order on domestic violence, and I thank Congressman Poe for his participation as well.

Imagine you were beaten at the hands of your boyfriend or husband, maybe in front of your child. Imagine that before you were able to call the police, your attacker fled. But he doesn't get far before the police catch him and throw him in jail. But days later he is set free, not on bail but with a clean record. And he's angry. More so because he first beat you, and now he wants to get revenge because you caused him to be arrested. No, this isn't a scene from a horror movie. It is, instead, a dose of reality from Topeka, Kansas, where the city council voted earlier this month to repeal the city law against misdemeanor domestic battery.

The council claimed that budget woes required this act of public policy cowardice. By repealing this law, Topeka sent a clear message to the women: your safety is not a priority; we will not protect you if you are victimized; we will not hold your spouse, former spouse, boyfriend, or live-in accountable if they assault you. You are on your own.

And this happened in a city where a domestic violence murder occurs every 10 days; a domestic violence incident occurs every 22 minutes; and a person is--or I should say was--charged with domestic violence every 41 minutes. But no more in Topeka, Kansas.

These are tough times for local and State governments. Everyone is being asked to do more with less. Difficult choices must be made. But let me say this without hesitation: the choices made during difficult times reflect who we are as Americans, who we are as human beings, and our mutual respect for the law. The Topeka decision is another example of how women in this country are becoming second-class citizens, or chattel, or even less.

We shun our global neighbors who allow violence to openly occur without repercussions. Today, as we recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the more than 1 million victims who are terrorized every year, I urge each and every State and locality in our great country to take a stand against what just occurred in Topeka, Kansas. Shame on Topeka, Kansas. Shame on them for not recognizing one of the most grievous acts that occurs in a local community. Domestic violence is one of the most reported incidents and one of the ones that police, frankly, are the more concerned about going out to because more often than not there is violence associated with it.

For the sake of the nearly 16 million children who are exposed to domestic violence each year, and the women who are abused every 9 seconds, we must recommit ourselves to supporting domestic violence victims.

Speaking of tough times, domestic violence shelters know a thing or two about pinching pennies. Three-quarters of the shelters nationally report losing money from government sources since the recession. And as their belts are tightened, the demands for their services have only increased. For the third straight year, 80 percent of shelters nationwide are reporting an increase in domestic violence cases.

I was always struck when I was in the State legislature that there were three times as many animal shelters as there were battered women shelters. It says volumes about where our priorities are in this country.

Three out of four shelters attributed the rise in violence to financial issues. Almost half said that those issues included job loss, and 42 percent cited the loss of a house or car. More than half of the shelters also reported that domestic abuse is more violent than it was before the financial crash. Studies shows that abuse is three times as likely to occur when a couple experiences financial strain. Take note: A 5-year study reveals that when a man experienced two or more periods of unemployment, he was almost three times as likely to abuse his female partner.

The irony with Topeka's decision is that domestic violence is expensive to the communities where it is more prevalent, and I'm not talking about the cost of prosecutions. I'm talking about the $8 billion to $10 billion in lost productivity, medical bills, and other costs. In fact, between one-quarter to one-half of domestic violence victims report that they lost a job at least in part due to domestic violence. And if we do not prevent these crimes and penalize those who commit them, we will pay tenfold in the years to come. Studies show that 60 percent of the nearly 16 million children who witness domestic abuse every year mimic it later in their lives.

We have our work cut out for us, but one thing that defines our country is the notion that anyone who abuses another human being, woman or man, will be brought to justice. When Topeka, Kansas, decriminalized domestic violence earlier this month, we took a huge and unacceptable step backwards. In honor of the victims who have lost their lives to domestic violence and those who live in fear every day, let us recommit ourselves today to their safety.

I thank you again, Mr. Green.

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