July 25, 2002

Good Morning. I would like to thank our Chairman today, Senator Wellstone, for convening this hearing on the powerful topic of domestic violence against women, and its effects in the workplace. It is my pleasure to be here today, and I would like to welcome all of our witnesses to the Committee and thank them as well for coming here today to give us their testimony on an issue that is both compelling and of vital importance.

Mr. Chairman, it is a sad truth that violence affects the lives of too many women in our society. According to some studies, the incidence of domestic violence approaches one in every four women over the course of their lifetime, an enormously troubling statistic that we must find the resources to combat. As you know, Mr. Chairman, the victims of domestic violence and other forms of violence against women face a unique form of terror at the hands of their attackers, and we need to move aggressively to ensure that these women do not continue to live in fear. For this reason I was proud to be a cosponsor with many of my colleagues of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and I continue to support provisions that build on the success of the original bill.

It is also important that we recognize that when a woman is abused, the abuse does not stay in the home, and we therefore cannot fight this battle on only one front. Domestic violence is often seen as a personal issue, a private issue, and certainly the right to privacy of any victim should always be respected. However, the suffering endured at home often follows a woman to her place of employment, tainting and violating an environment that should be a safe haven from the violence at home, compromising the workplace security of her coworkers, and interfering with her ability to hold a job and perform her duties with confidence and peace of mind. When domestic violence creeps into the workplace, Mr. Chairman, it becomes a concern for all of us. Indeed, according to the American Institute on Domestic Violence, 94 percent of company security directors surveyed ranked domestic violence as a "high workplace security risk."

In addition, not only is the security of the workplace jeopardized, but the economic impact for employers in terms of productivity slow-downs, absenteeism, and enormous health care costs is unacceptable. Companies are losing an estimated $3 to $5 billion each year to domestic violence, and many have begun to institute specific domestic and workplace violence initiatives to help deal with this growing problem.

I therefore hope that today's hearing will not only shed much needed light on the deeply troubling problem of workplace violence, and the effect this abuse has on women's health and well-being, but will also suggest some possibilities for actions that we may take to help address and confront these problems. With that, I yield, and I look forward to today's testimony.

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