Ron Kind: “nearly 1.5 million women are the victims of domestic violence and nearly one in every three adult women experience at…”

“nearly 1.5 million women are the victims of domestic violence and nearly one in every three adult women experience at least one physical assault by a partner during adulthood. We must not only remain committed to fighting sexual abuse, domestic violence and rape, but also improve our efforts on behalf of these victims. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation H.R. 1248, which would reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. This bill would authorize more than $3 billion in funding and add new programs, including a new temporary housing grant that would provide funding to help women move out of shelters, a new grant for legal assistance to women who have been victims of violence, and grants authorizing help for disabled women victims. VAWA has significantly strengthened domestic violence shelters and services to battered women and children throughout my state of Wisconsin and across the United States. The Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, through the programs in VAWA, have aided thousands of women in my state and help them cope and survive the tragedies of violence against women. As a former prosecutor in my home state of Wisconsin, responsible for prosecuting domestic violence, child abuse, adult and child sexual assault cases, I've seen first hand the scourge and scars domestic violence creates.”