Introduced Version
House Resolution 47 History
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HOUSE RESOLUTION 47
(By Delegate Webster, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Thompson, and Delegates
Argento, Ashley, Blair, Boggs, Ellem, Frazier, Lane, Lawrence,
McGeehan, Miley, C. Miller, Perdue, Perry, Phillips, Porter,
Romine, Rowan, Schadler, Schoen, Shook, Shott, Staggers, Susman
and Wooton)
Declaring April 2, 2009, to be Domestic Violence Prevention Day in
West Virginia.
Whereas, All people have a right to be safe in their homes and
with their families; and
Whereas, During the fiscal year 2007-2008, almost 15,000
individuals were served by one or more of the 14 licenced domestic
violence programs in West Virginia; and
Whereas, Domestic violence is a phenomenon that erodes the
infrastructure of our families; our social makeup and our culture,
and threatens the integrity of our future; and
Whereas, Women compromised 51% of our state's population and
account for 75% of all domestic violence victims; and
Whereas, Domestic violence is a major health problem in the
country, with medical costs exceeding $5.8 billion in 2005, and 35%
of all women seeking emergency medical care were victims of
domestic violence; and
Whereas, Domestic violence is also a major law enforcement
problem within West Virginia, but according to the WV State Police
2006 Crime in West Virginia Report, just under 12,000 incidents
ended in the arrest of a domestic violence offender; and
Whereas, Statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation
show that 30% of all assaults on law enforcement officers in 2005
were committed while the officers were responding to domestic
violence emergencies; and
Whereas, According to the National Law Enforcement Memorial
Fund, in the last ten years, 81 law enforcement officers have been
killed in the line of duty while responding to domestic violence
emergencies; and
Whereas, According to the 2005 West Virginia State Police
Crime Report, in 2005 34 homicides in our state were the result of
domestic violence; and
Whereas, Women are three times more likely than males to be
murdered by an intimate partner; and
Whereas, Statistics from the West Virginia State Police show
that 6 children died in our state as a result of domestic violence
in 2005; and
Whereas, Boys who witness domestic violence are twice as
likely to abuse their own partners and children when they become
adults; and
Whereas, Domestic violence affects both sexes and all races, ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic classes; and
Whereas, Domestic violence can be deterred, prevented, and
reduced, through a large network of private, public, and non-profit
entities working together to form a coalition providing social,
legal, medical, educational and protective services for victims of
domestic violence; and
Whereas the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence
has been working for over 25 years to provide safe space, quality
services, and systemic change to give families options for building
lives free from violence; therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Delegates:
That the House of Delegates declares April 2, 2009, to be
Domestic Violence Prevention Day in West Virginia and commits
itself to treating this problem with the seriousness that it
deserves and working to achieve solutions that deter, prevent,
and reduce domestic violence.