We can stamp out domestic violence

We can stamp out domestic violence

December 4, 2001

Guest Column
By Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell

Domestic violence has one of the farthest reaching circles of all types of crime. It isn’t just between the perpetrator and the victim. It also affects family members — especially children — the prison system, the judicial system and hospitals. Indirectly, the problems generated by domestic violence eventually take their toll on schools, workplaces, religious institutions and other centers of community involvement.

The national statistics on domestic violence are shocking. According to the Justice Department, nearly one million violent crimes were committed against people by their intimate partners in 1998. In fact, 30 percent of female murder victims are killed by current or former partners.

And, according to the American Medical Association, family violence alone costs the nation an estimated $5 to $10 billion annually in medical expenses, police and court costs, shelters and foster care, sick leave and absenteeism.

When I was growing up, few viewed violence in the home as a crime. As a young deputy sheriff, I learned that people thought of it as a private matter., Today, we know that domestic violence is not a private family matter — it is a serious crime.

Through the appropriations process, I have consistently supported funding for domestic violence programs. I cosponsored the single most comprehensive piece of legislation to combat domestic violence — the Violence Against Women Act — signed in law in 1994.

This year, I introduced a National Day of Hope resolution calling for increased a-wareness of child abuse and its effects on the families where it takes place, Studies have found that between 50 and 70 percent of the men who abuse their female partners also abuse their children. Ten million American children annually witness assaults by one parent against another — incidents no youngster should ever view. I am committed to seeing that these statistics are changed.

In my most recent effort to raise awareness of domestic violence, I offered an amendment to the Treasury Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Bill, called the Stamp Out Domestic Violence Act of 2001. Under this legislation, a semi-postal stamp, similar to the breast cancer stamp, will be issued by Jan. 1, 2004. This bill was signed into law by the president on Nov. 12.

The domestic violence stamp, like the breast cancer stamp, will cost slightly more than the value of the stamp; funds raised from the added cost will provide services for domestic violence programs managed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

I expect the money received from the stamp to be used to help the more than 2,000 domestic violence shelters throughout the nation. This funding will enable shelters to provide more space and better services, including emergency shelter, counseling and children’s programs, for the victims of domestic violence., All of these services are desperately needed.

Eliminating domestic violence will require cooperation from many segments of our society. Everyone has an important role to play in fighting domestic violence — the federal government, through funding for law enforcement and prevention programs, and the local communities, through vital services and shelters for women and children.

These efforts will need funding. Funding is a never-ending issue in the fight to provide victims and their children the resources they need to remain safe, both emotionally and physically.

In the year 2000, in Colorado alone, domestic violence agencies assisted more than 38,000 women and children. However, the agencies also had to turn away more than 5,000 victims because of space shortages.

The issuance of a domestic violence awareness stamp, allowing all citizens to easily contribute to the effort, will help send a clear message that domestic violence is not acceptable in our communities.

Let us work together to end this cycle and stamp out domestic violence for good.

Campbell, R-Ignacio, is a U.S. Senator from Colorado.