104 STAT. 1004 PUBLIC LAW 101-439—OCT. 18, 1990 Public Law 101-439 101st Congress Joint Resolution Oct. 18, 1990 [H.J. Res. 602] Designating October 1990 as "National Domestic Violence Awareness Month". Whereas it is estimated that a woman is battered every 15 seconds in the United States; Whereas domestic violence is the single largest cause of injury to women in the United States, affecting 6,000,000 women; Whereas urban and rural women of all racial, social, religious, ethnic, and economic groups, and of all ages, physical abilities, and lifestyles are affected by domestic violence; Whereas 31 percent of female homicide victims in 1988 were killed by their husbands or boyfriends; Whereas one-third of the domestic violence incidents involve felonies, specifically, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault; Whereas in 50 percent of families where the wife is being abused, the children of that family are also abused; Whereas some individuals in law enforcement and the judicial system continue to think of spousal abuse as a "private" matter and are hesitant to intervene and treat domestic assault as a crime; Whereas in 1987, over 375,000 women, plus their children, were provided emergency shelter in domestic violence shelters and safe homes, and the number of women and children that were sheltered by domestic violence programs increased by 164,000 between 1983 and 1987; Whereas 40 percent of women in need of shelter may be turned away due to a lack of shelter space; Whereas the nationwide efforts to help the victims of domestic violence need to be expanded and coordinated; Whereas there is a need to increase the public awareness and understanding of domestic violence and the needs of-battered women and their children; and Whereas the dedication and successes of those working to end domestic violence and the strength of the survivors of domestic violence should be recognized: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That October 1990 is designated as "National Domestic Violence Awareness Month", and 49-139 O - 90 (439)
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