October 3, 2007

"Today I had a client that had a weapon pulled on her when I was talking to her on the phone so she had to hang up.  When I called back, all phones had been disconnected."

-Hotline Operator

"Despite our progress, domestic violence continues to be seen and treated as a "dark secret" of our society that is too rarely discussed.  Victims are reluctant to come forward, neighbors are reluctant to call police, families are reluctant to voice concern, colleagues are reluctant to speak out, and lives hang in the balance.  Victims and perpetrators come from all racial and ethnic backgrounds, incomes, and social status - they can be teachers, elected officials, doctors, clerks, lawyers, law enforcement officers, clergy, athletes, journalists, or CEOs - no one is immune."  -- Donna Edwards

Dear Friends,

In the two decades since we first observed Domestic Violence Awareness Month in 1987, we have seen tremendous progress in public awareness, funding of shelters and services, and law enforcement response - but still much remains to be done.  Although I am not a victim of domestic violence, I am passionate about my commitment to end domestic violence.  I grew up in a home with loving parents and one in which my parents demonstrated mutual respect for each other.  As a mother and wife, I lived in a home in which non-violence was a rule.  I believe that every woman, no matter her income, education or social status, deserves to live without violence, and every child deserves a loving and nonviolent home environment. 

I have dedicated much of the past 20 years as a volunteer advocate and a national leader to ending domestic violence and to improving community awareness and response to domestic violence.  As a college resident advisor, I helped to seek counseling and intervention services from my university when a young woman I advised was physically assaulted repeatedly by her college sweetheart.  As an adult, I was a volunteer domestic violence advocate, working in shelters and on 24-hour emergency hotlines.  While in law school, I volunteered with a local shelter to staff a hotline, to help women seek protective orders.  As an advocate, I spearheaded training of law enforcement officers in order to improve their response at the scene and to educate them about a crime that places them in harm's way in communities across the country.  Over the years, I have seen first hand the devastating impact of domestic violence on women and their children. 

My experience taught me that too often battered women lack support within the major systems they encounter - law enforcement, civil and criminal justice, public assistance, housing, work places, and clerical institutions.  In the early 1990's I decided to focus my efforts on making changes to federal law to improve system response and make a difference in the lives of women and children across the country.  I helped organize and advocate with my colleagues around the country to pass the first ever Violence Against Women Act of 1994, providing comprehensive funding for shelters and services for victims and survivors of domestic violence.  I was proud to join President William Jefferson Clinton in signing this landmark legislation into law.  As a result of this success, I co-founded, served as chair of the board, and as the first executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, a social change organization, which is dedicated to creating a social, political and economic environment in which violence against women no longer exists.  I continue to be inspired by my good friends, the late Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota and his wife Sheila Wellstone in our work together on issues of children who witness domestic violence.  In addition to my work on federal legislation, I helped create what is today the largest public-private partnership for domestic violence funding - the Doors of Hope program providing millions of dollars to fund unique and innovative domestic violence services.  I continue to serve on the board of the National Network to End Domestic Violence Fund. I am proud of the work that the NNEDV Fund and advocates do throughout Maryland and around the country.

Nonetheless, despite our progress, domestic violence continues to be seen and treated as a "dark secret" of our society that is too rarely discussed.  Victims are reluctant to come forward, neighbors are reluctant to call police, families are reluctant to voice concern, colleagues are reluctant to speak out, and lives hang in the balance.  Victims and perpetrators come from all racial and ethnic backgrounds, incomes, and social status - they can be teachers, elected officials, doctors, clerks, lawyers, law enforcement officers, clergy, athletes, journalists, or CEOs - no one is immune. Some may be surprised to learn that in Maryland, there were 21,965 domestic violence crimes reported by law enforcement agencies during 2006 -- 4,421 of which occurred in Prince George's and Montgomery counties alone.[1]  In 2006, 56 people were killed in Maryland as a result of domestic violence.  An estimated 95 percent of domestic violence victims are women, though a small percent of domestic violence occurs when women are perpetrators or when violence occurs in same-sex relationships. This past Tuesday, The Washington Post ran a story about police departments across Maryland adopting a domestic violence program that uses a series of pointed questions to identify those most at risk of being killed and get them immediate aid or counseling.[2]   As the statistics show, domestic violence is not about race or income, it's about violence. Data suggest that one in every four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime[3].  This staggering evidence is what motivates me to do all I can to break the cycle of domestic violence.

At the federal level, the reauthorization of The Violence Against Women Act of 2005 offers important levers to improve criminal and civil justice and community-based responses to violence. The updated law contains several important components.

• Developing prevention strategies to stop violence before it starts;
• Protecting individuals from unfair eviction due to their status as victims of domestic violence or stalking;
• Creating the first federal funding stream to support rape crisis centers;
• Developing culturally- and linguistically-specific services for communities;
• Enhancing programs and services for victims with disabilities; and
• Broadening VAWA service provisions to include children and teenagers.[4]

There also remains more to be done at the state level in Maryland.

• Provide greater safety for victims by extending the time limit to two years that a court can issue a civil protection order and making certain that orders can include removing the perpetrator from the home.
• Provide adequate funding for direct services to ensure that anyone who seeks shelter or counseling services is not turned away.
• Provide training services to health care professionals, civil servants and criminal justice personnel to be able to appropriately respond to domestic violence victims and abusers.
• Expand education and community outreach initiatives to increase public awareness to prove once and for all that violence against women in our society will not be tolerated.[5]

From the early days of working domestic violence hotlines, to my work at the National Network to End Domestic Violence, I have been a leader on this issue. As a member of Congress, I will continue to provide that level of leadership to address a pervasive issue that adversely affects all segments of our population.

If you have any questions about this or any other issue, please call our campaign office at (301) 316-1880 or visit us on the web at www.donnaedwardsforcongress.com.

Sincerely,

Donna Edwards

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