Attorney General's News Release

March 12, 1998

Nixon urges new curbs on domestic violence

Washington, D.C. — Declaring a commitment to a "zero tolerance policy on violence against women," Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon signed on today to a strong new package of steps targeting domestic abusers in Missouri and the rest of the nation.

Nixon gave strong support for such steps as recognition across state lines of protective orders, penalty enhancement for men who batter women in front of children, and victim-counselor confidentiality.

Nixon voted today for the major new steps in the form of a resolution considered at the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) meeting in Washington, D.C. Nixon made it clear that he intends to do whatever is needed to promote the reforms at the state and national level. (See facts, "The Tragic Toll," below that set out key statistics about violence against women.)

"More than 1,000 women die each year as a result of domestic violence, and studies show that half of all men who abuse their partner also abuse their children," said Nixon. "I believe that one of the strongest things that we can do to support solid families in Missouri is to adopt and enforce a zero tolerance policy when it comes to violence against women. This is a pro-family approach that everyone can agree makes sense for Missouri and rest of the nation."

In Missouri, Nixon has supported legislative changes that have increased the funding for domestic violence shelters and made it easier for poorer counties to obtain shelter funding. Last October he led a delegation of domestic violence activists from Missouri in a march of "silent witness" silhouettes to call attention to the problem of under-reporting of domestic violence homicides. Nixon is supporting pending legislation that would enable law enforcement to know exactly how many deaths are caused by domestic violence-related homicides each year.

The resolution supported by Nixon calls on Congress to act this spring to extend and fully fund the Violence Against Women Act, which among its provisions created grants for local law enforcement efforts and barred batterers under protection orders from crossing state lines to pursue partners.

Nixon also supported a wide range of additional steps outlined in the NAAG resolution, including:

• Recognition across state lines of stay-away and similar protective orders to provide more protection for women who travel to another state to avoid a batterer.
• Penalty enhancement for men who batter women in front of children. With research providing evidence that children who witness abuse of women are much more likely to commit the same types of acts in the future, a stiffer penalty would provide a potentially powerful deterrent.
• Victim-counselor confidentiality. In the absence of such a shielding provision, women may be reluctant to exit domestic violence situations and seek help.
• Continuing education for judges and other court personnel about violence against women issues. Greater sensitivity to the problems and needs of domestic violence victims is likely to help encourage legal proceedings that do not discourage abused women from coming forward.

"The Violence Against Women Act is important for many reasons," Nixon said. "It provides vital funding directly to the states, where much of the real work is done to assist victims of domestic violence. We need the act reauthorized and fully funded by Congress to continue important efforts here in Missouri. We also need some additional steps to make sure that those who abuse women are punished by a legal system that sends a clear message: violence against women is not acceptable. under any circumstances."

Nixon urged women in Missouri who may be victims of abuse to get help immediately. The following resources may be the most useful to victims:

• Call the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic Violence at 573-634-4161 for local shelter referrals.
• Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 800-799-SAFE (TDD line is 800-787-3224).

The Tragic Toll: Facts About Violence Against Women

Nixon released the following summary of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice on the extent of the domestic violence problem in America:

• Each year, more than 1,000 women -- almost three per day -- die as a result of domestic violence at the hands of a husband, boyfriend or other "intimate."
• Half of the men who abuse their female partners also abuse their children.
• For every five violent victimizations of a female by an intimate, there was one incident in which a male was the victim. Intimates committed more than 900,000 victimizations of females, compared to under 170,000 victimizations of males.
• For homicides in which the relationship between victim and killer was known, 31 percent of female victims 12 or older were killed by an intimate, versus 4 percent who were male.
• It is estimated that each year, more than 3 million children in the United States are at risk of witnessing domestic violence in their homes. Research suggests that witnessing parental violence is a better predictor of later abusing a partner than suffering abuse as a child.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818