Political Quotes

“since enactment of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994, the number of forcible rapes of women have declined, and the number of sexual assaults nationwide have gone down as well. The Justice Department's states nearly 25 percent of surveyed women and about 7 percent of surveyed men say they have been raped and or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse or partner at some time in their lives. This figure, however, is a conservative one that substantially understates the actual number of families affected by domestic violence because battering is usually not reported until it reaches life-threatening proportions. In fact, some researches estimate that one of every two women will be battered at some time in their life. In Illinois, the Chicago Police Department, the Cook County States Attorney's Office and various other community and government agencies have developed the necessary infrastructure, as a result of the passage of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994. Mr. Speaker the Violence Against Women Act works. In fact, a recent Justice report found that intimate partner violence against women decreased by 21 percent from 1993 to 1998. This is strong evidence that the state and community efforts born from this act are working. Despite the success of the Violence Against Women Act, domestic abuse and violence against women continues to plague our communities.”