A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 753 Supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES OCTOBER 22 (legislative day, OCTOBER 19), 2020 Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Ms. MURKOWSKI) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary NOVEMBER 30, 2020 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Whereas, according to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey— (1) up to 12,000,000 individuals in the United States report experiencing intimate partner violence an- nually, including physical violence, rape, or stalking; and (2) approximately 1 in 5 women in the United States and up to 1 in 7 men in the United States have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate part- ner at some point in their lifetimes; VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:37 Dec 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR753.ATS SR753 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 SRES 753 ATS Whereas, on average, 3 women in the United States are killed each day by a current or former intimate partner, accord- ing to the Bureau of Justice Statistics; Whereas domestic violence can affect anyone, but women who are 18 to 34 years of age typically experience the highest rates of domestic violence; Whereas survivors of domestic violence are strong, coura- geous, and resilient; Whereas most female victims of intimate partner violence have been victimized by the same offender previously; Whereas domestic violence is cited as a significant factor in homelessness among families; Whereas millions of children are exposed to domestic violence each year; Whereas research shows that boys who are exposed to domes- tic violence in their households are more likely to become perpetrators of intimate partner violence; Whereas victims of domestic violence experience immediate and long-term negative outcomes, including detrimental effects on mental and physical health; Whereas research consistently shows that being abused by an intimate partner increases an individual’s likelihood of substance use as well as associated harmful con- sequences; Whereas victims of domestic violence may lose several days of paid work each year and may lose their jobs due to reasons stemming from domestic violence; Whereas crisis hotlines serving domestic violence victims op- erate 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and offer im- VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:37 Dec 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR753.ATS SR753 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 SRES 753 ATS portant crisis intervention services, support services, in- formation, and referrals for victims; Whereas staff and volunteers of domestic violence shelters and programs in the United States, in cooperation with 56 State and territorial coalitions against domestic vio- lence, provide essential services to— (1) thousands of adults and children each day; and (2) 1,000,000 adults and children each year; Whereas more than 160 States, counties, and cities have ex- perienced an increase in reports of domestic violence dur- ing the COVID–19 pandemic; Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic increases the isolation of survivors of domestic violence and that isolation is being used as a tool by abusers to exert power and coercive control; Whereas domestic violence programs and hotlines have seen a substantial increase in contacts since the beginning of the COVID–19 pandemic and are expecting a surge in requests for services when social distancing is no longer necessary; Whereas local YWCAs shared that between March 31, 2020, and late summer 2020, as a result of the impact from the COVID–19 pandemic— (1) 69 percent of respondent YWCAs that operate domestic violence hotlines reported an increase in demand for services; and (2) 64 percent of nearly 100 local YWCAs who pro- vide domestic violence services (either emergency shelter or transitional housing) reported an increase in demand for domestic violence shelter; VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:37 Dec 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR753.ATS SR753 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 SRES 753 ATS Whereas while violence as a lived experience of American In- dian and Alaska Native women exists in less pressing times, the COVID–19 pandemic has increased the chal- lenges and barriers to accessing safety by exacerbating already existing issues including— (1) lack of safe housing for victims; (2) lack of space in shelters for victims to maintain safe social distancing; (3) lack of personal protective equipment for staff of tribal shelters and victim services programs; (4) limited transportation for victims; and (5) lack of access to adequate health care; Whereas respondents to a survey of domestic violence pro- grams reported that survivors of domestic violence are facing financial challenges related to COVID–19 and three quarters of those respondents reported that sur- vivors are having trouble accessing food, and more than half of those respondents have reported that survivors cannot pay their bills; Whereas medical professionals have reported that survivors of domestic violence are presenting with more severe injuries during the pandemic; Whereas domestic violence programs are having to change the way they provide services in response to the COVID–19 pandemic; Whereas advocates for survivors of domestic violence and sur- vivors face the same challenges with childcare and facili- tating online learning that others do; Whereas, according to a 2019 survey conducted by the Na- tional Network to End Domestic Violence, 77,226 domes- tic violence victims were served by domestic violence shel- VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:37 Dec 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR753.ATS SR753 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 SRES 753 ATS ters and programs around the United States in a single day; Whereas non-citizen victims of domestic violence report heightened concerns with accessing law enforcement and services due to uncertainty arising from changing immi- gration policies and heightened immigration enforcement; Whereas law enforcement officers in the United States put their lives at risk each day by responding to incidents of domestic violence, which can be among the most volatile and deadly calls; Whereas Congress first demonstrated a significant commit- ment to supporting victims of domestic violence with the enactment of the landmark Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10401 et seq.); Whereas Congress has remained committed to protecting sur- vivors of all forms of domestic violence and sexual abuse by making Federal funding available to support the ac- tivities that are authorized under— (1) the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10401 et seq.); and (2) the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12291 et seq.); Whereas there is a need to continue to support programs and activities aimed at domestic violence intervention and do- mestic violence prevention in the United States; Whereas domestic violence programs provide trauma-in- formed services to protect the safety, privacy, and con- fidentiality of survivors of domestic violence; and Whereas individuals and organizations that are dedicated to preventing and ending domestic violence should be recog- nized: Now, therefore, be it VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:37 Dec 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR753.ATS SR753 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 SRES 753 ATS Resolved, That— 1 (1) the Senate— 2 (A) supports the goals and ideals of ‘‘Na- 3 tional Domestic Violence Awareness Month’’; 4 (B) commends domestic violence victim ad- 5 vocates, domestic violence victim service pro- 6 viders, crisis hotline staff, and first responders 7 serving victims of domestic violence, for their 8 compassionate support of survivors of domestic 9 violence; and 10 (C) recognizes the impact of the COVID– 11 19 pandemic on advocates for survivors of do- 12 mestic violence and survivors; and 13 (2) it is the sense of the Senate that Congress 14 should— 15 (A) continue to raise awareness of— 16 (i) domestic violence in the United 17 States; and 18 (ii) the corresponding devastating ef- 19 fects of domestic violence on survivors, 20 families, and communities; and 21 (B) pledge continued support for programs 22 designed to— 23 (i) assist survivors of domestic vio- 24 lence; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:37 Dec 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR753.ATS SR753 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 SRES 753 ATS (ii) hold perpetrators of domestic vio- 1 lence accountable; and 2 (iii) bring an end to domestic violence. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:37 Dec 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR753.ATS SR753 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS