Senate Concurrent Resolution
No. 46
CHAPTER 39
Relative to Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
[
Filed with
Secretary of State
July 12, 1996.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SCR 46, Solis.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
This measure would proclaim the month of October 1996 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Digest Key
WHEREAS, Home should be a place of warmth, unconditional love, tranquility, and security; however, for many Americans, home is tainted with violence and fear; and
WHEREAS, Domestic violence is more than the occasional family dispute; and
WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, domestic violence is the single largest cause of injury to American women, affecting six million women of all racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds; and
WHEREAS, According to data published in 1993 by the Commonwealth Fund and a 1994 survey report by the United States Department of Justice, in the United States, a woman is battered every 15 seconds; 40 percent of female homicide victims in 1991 were killed by their husbands or boyfriends; and
WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of Labor, one million people are assaulted and injured every year as a result of workplace violence, 1,000 people are killed every year due to workplace violence, and 20 percent of battered women lose their jobs due to harrassment at work by abusive husbands or boyfriends; and
WHEREAS, More than one-half of the number of women in need of shelter from an abusive environment may be turned away from a shelter due to lack of space; and
WHEREAS, Women are not the only targets of domestic violence; young children, elderly persons, and men are also victims in their own homes; and
WHEREAS, Emotional scars are often permanent; and
WHEREAS, A coalition of organizations has emerged to confront this crisis directly. Law enforcement agencies, domestic violence hotlines, battered women and children’s shelters, health care providers, churches, and the volunteers that serve those entities are helping the effort to end domestic violence; and
WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the compassion and dedication of the individuals involved in that effort, applaud their commitment, and increase public understanding of this significant problem; and
WHEREAS, The first Day of Unity was celebrated in October 1981 and was sponsored by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (N.C.A.D.V.) for the purpose of uniting battered women’s advocates across the nation in an effort to end domestic violence; and
WHEREAS, That one day has grown into a month of activities at all levels of government, aimed at creating awareness about the problem and presenting solutions; and
WHEREAS, The first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was proclaimed in October 1987; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims the month of October 1996 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit a copy of this resolution to the President of the United States, the Governor of the State of California, the Director of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.