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Klobuchar: In Times of Economic Crisis, Domestic Violence Programs Need Additional Support

Call for timely reauthorization of Violence Against Women Act

May 5, 2010

Washington, D.C. – At a Judiciary Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar called for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, highlighting the increased risks of domestic abuse in the current economic climate. Klobuchar noted that victims of domestic abuse face the added struggle of becoming financially independent from their abusers during economic downturns.
 
“As a former prosecutor, I saw firsthand how domestic abuse destroyed families and hemmed women into dangerous situations due to a lack of economic opportunity,” Klobuchar said. “Women should never feel forced to choose between personal safety and financial stability. I am committed to ensuring that women and children have the resources they need to protect themselves from violence, leave abusive situations, and hold their abusers accountable.”

At the hearing, Klobuchar heard from several victim services staff, including Lolita Ulloa, who serves as the Managing Attorney for the Victim Services Division of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis.  Ulloa stressed that, “Financial independence can make the difference in whether a woman stays or leaves.”

Klobuchar is a cosponsor of the Improving Assistance to Domestic and Sexual Violence Victims Act of 2009, which would amend the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to strengthen programs that help address the needs of domestic violence victims.

The Centers for Disease Control has estimated that the cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health services. The Violence Against Women Act has saved an estimated $14.8 billion in net averted social costs since it was first passed in 1994. 

The Department of Justice last September launched a year-long effort to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act.