The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“WE MUST END THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE IN AMERICA AND MAKE EVERY HOME SAFE” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S15283-S15284 on Oct. 18, 1995.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
WE MUST END THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE IN AMERICA AND MAKE EVERY HOME SAFE
Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I know we are about to go into recess, and I thank my colleagues for their graciousness. I appreciate this time. I come before the Senate to underscore my commitment to ending domestic violence in America. As I have said on the floor before, every time a person in my State of Minnesota dies at the hand of an abuser, I will make sure that their story becomes a part of the Congressional Record.
As my colleagues know, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It is a month that is designated to raise awareness about domestic violence. In addition, the YWCA has designated this week as their call for a ``Week Without Violence.'' Today, in particular, their efforts will focus on confronting violence against women. So, Mr. President, it is for this reason that I have chosen this special day to come to the floor of the Senate to make this statement.
It is with some sadness, pain, and anger that I will read the names of five Minnesota women and one Minnesota child who were apparently killed at the hands of someone they knew. The circumstances are described in the record compiled by the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women. Mr. President, I must state at the onset that none of the people charged in these murders has been convicted yet. Therefore, I will not use the victims' real names.
I come to the floor of the Senate to describe these cases so that we will remember how deeply this violence scars our society. And most importantly, as a reaffirmation of any commitment--and I hope the commitment of all of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans alike--to work toward ending the cycle of violence. Indeed, Mr. President, if we are ever going to stop the violence in our communities, in our workplaces, and in our streets, we are going to have to begin by stopping violence in our homes.
Mr. President, domestic violence continues to be the single most significant cause of injury to women in the United States of America. Yet, this violence knows no boundaries of age, or gender, or race, or geography, or income, or education. The violence goes on year after year and generation after generation. A study by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention at the Department of Justice found that mistreated youngsters who grow up in violent homes were twice as likely to commit brutal crimes as were children from nonviolent homes. Not surprising. If you grow up in brutal circumstances, that can very well make you brutal.
In Minnesota, in 1994, at least 19 women and 7 children were brutally killed by a spouse, a former partner, or someone they knew. So it is with pain, but also with great determination, I ask that we honor the memory of individuals who apparently died as a result of domestic violence. We should be mindful of the fact that these women could be your friends, they could be your neighbors, they could be your coworkers, they could be your sisters, they could be your mothers, they could be your wives.
It is from my heart that I ask that we end this kind of violence, that we do everything we can to end this kind of violence that has such a painful cost for individuals, their families, and their communities.
Individuals: Sue, 31. A sheriff's deputy found the bodies of her and her ex-husband in a bed in their home. Authorities had no doubt the homicides were murder-suicide, and believe her ex-husband shot her as she slept, and then shot himself. Both were wearing nightclothes, and a single-shot, 12-gauge shotgun was found by the side of the bed.
Joyce, age 27. She and her boyfriend were found dead in the apartment they shared. The police said that the boyfriend apparently shot her and then turned the gun on himself. A shotgun was found near the bodies.
Marie, 30. She was found dead from stab wounds. Her husband was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
Deborah, age 51. She was found buried in a wilderness area. Her son was charged with first-degree murder in the strangulation death of his mother. He admitted to killing her because she did not like his girlfriend. He said he strangled his mother with the power cord of his radio, and then put her body in the trunk of the car and drove to the wilderness area and buried her.
Carol, age 40. Her 6-year-old son reported that she and her boyfriend were seated on the couch and fighting. Her boyfriend had a rifle pointed at her head and told her he would kill her if she contacted the police. She then reportedly said, ``Go ahead.'' And her son said he then heard two shots. The boyfriend has been charged with second-degree murder.
Anne, age 3. She died after being stabbed in the head. Her stepfather has been charged with first-degree murder in her death and attempted murder and second-degree assault in the stabbing of his wife. The details of her death are too gruesome to talk about on the floor of the Senate.
Mr. President, these are the recent cases of victims only in Minnesota, and only those that have been documented and well-
publicized. Looking at the national statistics, I know there must be many more cases that go unreported.
An American Medical Association report cites some horrifying statistics: Nearly one quarter of the women in the United States of America--more than 12 million--will be abused by a current or former partner sometime during their lives--one quarter of the women in the United States of America; 47 percent of husbands who beat their wives do so three or more times a year; according to FBI statistics, at least 30 percent of murdered women are killed by their intimate male partner; every 13 seconds, a child in the United States of America is reported abused or neglected; and more than three children--more than three children--die each day in the United States as a result of abuse or neglect.
Mr. President, we can no longer stand by and say it is someone else's problem. What are we waiting for? Too many have spoken with their voices and with their lives, and this violence must end.
Last year, the Congress passed new laws to protect victims and to prevent violence. Senator Biden has taken a major leadership role in helping to pass the Violence Against Women Act.
The first comprehensive piece of legislation on the subject of violence against women was milestone legislation for this Congress and for this Nation. We all must continue to fight any efforts to weaken the crime bill, including efforts to scale back the Violence Against Women Act or the funding for it.
Mr. President, domestic violence is also a critical issue to me when we talk about reforming the welfare system.
I said on the floor before, it took Monica Seles 2 years to play tennis again after being stabbed. Can you imagine what it would be like if you were beaten over and over and over again?
We must make sure that States have the option to give exemptions to women who have been beaten or children who have experienced this. They may not be able to work in 2 years. The last thing you want to do is cut them off of assistance and give them no other choice but to go back into very dangerous homes.
There is much to be done. We must be a voice for the victims; the women, the men, and the children who live in fear every moment of their lives, never knowing when the abuse will come or how lethal the next attack will be.
We must be unrelenting in our campaign to say as Senators what my wife Sheila says wherever she goes in Minnesota: We will not tolerate the violence; we will not ignore the violence; and we will no longer say it is someone else's responsibility.
I urge all of my colleagues to work with the survivors, the advocates, the medical professionals, the justice systems in our States, and to support full community funding and full community involvement in ending this violence. I urge my colleagues to work with passion and conviction to make this a priority of our work in the U.S. Senate. We must do everything we can to make homes the safest places that they can be.
I yield the floor. I thank my colleague from North Carolina for giving me this opportunity.
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