Domestic Violence

As a mother and a woman, Pentel's running mate Danene Provencher, who has experienced domestic violence firsthand, feels the debate in the political arena needs to address all violence. Violence directed against people, especially women and children and the violence directed towards our planet.

The statistics speak for themselves:
Source: National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

• 1 of every 3 homeless women in MN is homeless at least in part due to domestic violence
• Domestic violence victims account for over 25% of violent crimes in MN
• At least 13 women and 11 children were murdered in MN in 2004 as the result of domestic violence

Who Are the Victims?

http://www.usda.gov/da/shmd/aware.htm

Women were attacked about six times more often by offenders with whom they had an intimate relationship than were male violence victims.

• Nearly 30 percent of all female homicide victims were known to have been killed by their husbands, former husbands or boyfriends.
• In contrast, just over 3 percent of male homicide victims were known to have been killed by their wives, former wives or girlfriends.
• Husbands, former husbands, boyfriends and ex-boyfriends committed more than one million violent acts against women.
• Family members or other people they knew committed more than 2.7 million violent crimes against women.
• Husbands, former husbands, boyfriends and ex-boyfriends committed 26 percent of rapes and sexual assaults.
• Forty-five percent of all violent attacks against female victims 12 years old and older by multiple offenders involve offenders they know.
• The rate of intimate-offender attacks on women separated from their husbands was about three times higher than that of divorced women and about 25 times higher than that of married women.
• Women of all races were equally vulnerable to attacks by intimates.
• Female victims of violence were more likely to be injured when attacked by someone they knew than female victims of violence who were attacked by strangers.
• One in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.
• More facts on sexual assaults, economic impact and how you can be helped can be found at: http://www.ncadv.org/resources/Statistics_170.html

Conflict Resolution

We are living in a time when violence against another is becoming too mainstream and is being used as an end result to conflict. As a candidate I feel it is imperative that conflict resolution courses are taught in all schools, starting in kindergarten. For further information, see: www.cmhq.org Below is a summary on the basic skills required in conflict resolution.

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