Political Quotes

“this month is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It was launched over 20 years ago by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In 1989, the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month commemorative legislation was passed by the Congress. It has been passed every year since 1989. We have come a long way in understanding the causes of domestic violence. Most importantly, we understand now that spousal battery is not a mere private matter, something that happens behind closed doors. Domestic violence is a crime. It devastates lives, rips apart families, and affects every aspect of community life. Its victims deserve our best efforts to prevent and prosecute family violence as we would any other violent crime. Battery is a pattern of fear and intimidation to establish power and control over another person. It is wrong. Battering happens when one person believes they are entitled to control another. Acts of domestic violence include physical assault, sexual abuse, and psychological cruelty. It often escalates from insults and verbal jabs to physical harm. Fortunately, the work done by many courageous and committed individuals, including community leaders and churches and police departments, family courts, shelters, and advocates, have made a difference. The Department of Justice reports that the number of female victims of intimate violence declined through the 1990s. The number of male victims of intimate violence also went down over this period.”