PRINTER'S NO. 2482
No. 402 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY ORIE, WASHINGTON, BAKER, PILEGGI, C. WILLIAMS,
COSTA, FONTANA, MELLOW, BOSCOLA, STACK, TOMLINSON, KASUNIC,
A. WILLIAMS, FERLO, ERICKSON, KITCHEN, MUSTO, DINNIMAN,
TARTAGLIONE, RAFFERTY, PUNT, WAUGH, LAVALLE, LOGAN, BRUBAKER,
EARLL, GREENLEAF, FUMO, PICCOLA, PIPPY, WONDERLING, BROWNE
AND GORDNER, OCTOBER 6, 2008
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, OCTOBER 6, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating the month of October 2008 as "Domestic Violence
2 Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Approximately 80,000 Pennsylvanians each year are
4 victims of domestic violence; and
5 WHEREAS, According to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against
6 Domestic Violence, on a single day in November 2006, more than
7 2,477 adults and children in this Commonwealth sought services
8 from domestic violence agencies; and
9 WHEREAS, In 2007, 93 victims of domestic violence lost their
10 lives in this Commonwealth, including nine children; and
11 WHEREAS, Approximately 1,800 murders nationally are
12 attributed to domestic violence each year; and
13 WHEREAS, According to Federal Bureau of Investigation
14 statistics, a woman is beaten every 15 seconds; and
15 WHEREAS, Battery is a leading cause of injury to women; and
16 WHEREAS, Studies show that battered women who work face a
1 high likelihood of losing their jobs because of the effects of
2 domestic violence; and
3 WHEREAS, According to the Department of Justice, nearly 50%
4 of all domestic violence acts are witnessed by children; and
5 WHEREAS, The nationwide annual health care-related costs of
6 rape, physical assault, stalking and homicide by intimate
7 partners exceed $4.1 billion; and
8 WHEREAS, The workplace consequences of domestic violence
9 account for almost $1.8 billion in lost productivity and
10 earnings in the United States each year, which is the equivalent
11 of more than 32,000 full-time jobs and nearly 5.6 million days
12 of household productivity; and
13 WHEREAS, In the United States an estimated 10% of primary
14 care physicians routinely screen for partner abuse when patients
15 are not currently injured; and
16 WHEREAS, The importance of screening patients for symptoms of
17 domestic violence was emphasized by this General Assembly by Act
18 115 of 1998, establishing the Domestic Violence Health Care
19 Response Program; and
20 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is the first state in the nation to
21 institute universal screening for domestic violence; and
22 WHEREAS, The Family Violence Prevention Fund has given
23 Pennsylvania "A" grade with regard to domestic violence health
24 care laws; and
25 WHEREAS, According to a 2006 report by the Bureau of Justice
26 Statistics, only 21% of female victims and 10% of male victims
27 will contact an outside agency for assistance; and
28 WHEREAS, All Pennsylvanians should be aware of the multitude
29 of symptoms and signs associated with domestic violence as well
30 as the available resources for victim assistance; therefore be
20080S0402R2482 - 2 -
1 it
2 RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of October 2008
3 as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania and
4 encourage all Pennsylvanians to learn more about the causes,
5 signs, prevention and treatment for domestic violence.
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