Title
Urging the Pennsylvania State Legislature to pass House Bill 2060 which provides further protections to victims of domestic violence.
Body
WHEREAS, According to Women Against Abuse, domestic violence is defined as "a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors, including physical, sexual and psychological attacks, as well as economic coercion, that adults or adolescents use to gain power and control over their intimate partners". Eighty-five percent of domestic violence victims are women; and
WHEREAS, Studies show that domestic violence affects every segment of our society. According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, more than 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. The report also indicates that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lives; and
WHEREAS, Domestic violence is of particular concern to women and families. The American College of Emergency Physicians has found that two to four million women are physically abused each year in the United States. Nearly two thousand women die of the injuries they suffer through domestic violence. The United States Conference of Mayors' survey indicates that domestic violence is one of the top three causes of homelessness among families in each of the 23 cities surveyed, including Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, The danger posed by domestic violence is magnified when a deadly weapon is involved. 72 percent of all murder-suicides have involved an intimate partner and 94 percent of the victims of these crimes were female. When a gun is present in a domestic violence situation, the risk of homicide is at least 500% higher; and
WHEREAS, The citizens of the City of Philadelphia were reminded of the dangers of domestic violence after learning about the horrific death of Linda J. Rios. Linda was a d...
Click here for full text