On the recordApril 21, 2015
I thank Congressman Honda for hosting this very important Special Order this evening. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury for women in America. More often than not, cases of violence against women go unreported. Over 80% of women who were victimized experienced significant short- term and long-term impacts related to the violence and were more likely to experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and long-term chronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes. Every year in the United States, 1,000 to 1,600 women die at the hands of their male partners, often after a long, escalating pattern of battering. In 2009, 111 women were killed by their former or current husband, intimate partner or boyfriend in the State of Texas. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury for women in America. Every nine seconds a woman in the United States is assaulted or beaten by stalkers or her partner. Another form of violence against women is sex trafficking. Trafficking ensnares millions of women and girls in modern-day slavery. According to the FBI, sex trafficking is the fastest-growing business of organized crime and the third-largest criminal enterprise in the world. More than 300,000 American children are at risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking annually in what is estimated to be a $9.8 billion industry.…
