SENATE MEMORIAL 59

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2011

INTRODUCED BY

Howie Morales

A MEMORIAL

PROCLAIMING MARCH 4, 2011 "FOR A CHILD, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LASTS A LIFETIME DAY" IN THE SENATE; RECOGNIZING A CONNECTION BETWEEN CHILDREN WHO ARE EXPOSED TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND NEGATIVE EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT.

     WHEREAS, scientific research shows that between ten and twenty percent of children in the United States are exposed to domestic violence annually; and

     WHEREAS, some research places the number of children exposed to sexual, physical or emotional abuse and neglect at two-thirds of all children in the United States; and

     WHEREAS, child abuse is nearly one thousand five hundred times higher in homes where there is domestic violence, and between thirty to sixty percent of perpetrators of domestic violence also abuse their children; and

     WHEREAS, children also witness domestic violence. In 2008, law enforcement in New Mexico responded to twenty thousand incidents of domestic violence, and nearly four thousand five hundred children were present at the scene when police arrived; and

     WHEREAS, eighty to ninety percent of children are aware of violence in their homes, even though many parents mistakenly believe that children are not aware and are not affected; and

      WHEREAS, when children are targets of abuse or witnesses to abuse, they suffer from a range of serious problems throughout their lives, and studies show that these children suffer from a number of social and emotional problems, including aggressive behavior, depression, anxiety, decreased social competence and diminished academic performance; and

     WHEREAS, children exposed to domestic violence suffer academically, having significantly lower reading and math test scores than their peers, and they have increased overall misbehavior in the classroom; and

     WHEREAS, many parents and school officials agree that troubled children negatively affect learning in the classroom; and 

     WHEREAS, unless domestic violence is addressed and services are maintained for parents and their children, efforts to improve educational outcomes will be limited; and

     WHEREAS, in New Mexico, the number of incidents of children exposed to domestic violence is high while positive educational outcomes in school are low; and

     WHEREAS, the New Mexico legislature recognizes that this connection must be acknowledged as a critical piece of information when trying to create educational reforms that work for the best interests of the education of the children of New Mexico;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that March 4, 2011 be proclaimed "For a Child, Domestic Violence Lasts a Lifetime Day" in the senate.

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