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| First lady urges Congress to take up Violence Against Women ActWASHINGTON (CNN) -- First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was joined at the White House Monday by members of Congress, the Clinton Administration and law enforcement to call for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, the 1994 law intended to provide law enforcement with the tools necessary to combat domestic violence. "We are here today to send a clear message that if we want to stop violence against women ... then we must reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act now," the first lady said at the forum. Mrs. Clinton was accompanied by Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California), Rep. Constance Morella (R-Maryland), law enforcement from domestic violence units in Maryland and Virginia, as well as domestic violence program officials from around the country.
"Every one of these people and countless others across the country have worked to make the end to violence a promise," Clinton said. "Violence against women is not just a women's issue, it's a family issue and a criminal issue," she added. "Law enforcement knows how important this issue is to keeping the peace in families, neighborhoods and communities." The act, which must be reauthorized by Congress every five years, provides grants to states for education and training for judges and court personnel, as well as funds for battered women's shelters, and access to a nationwide, multi-lingual domestic violence hotline. Since it was first enacted, VAWA has provided $1.5 billion in grants to states, while 300,000 battered women have sought refuge in shelters and 500,000 calls have been logged to a toll-free hotline, Clinton noted. "We now know that finally, the incidence of domestic violence is going down," she said, citing a recent Justice Department study, which found a 21 percent decline in reported cases of domestic violence since the mid-1990s. But, she added, "our job is far from done. I don't believe law enforcement yet has the resources needed." To that end, she said she was releasing two additional government studies recommending ways to further reduce domestic violence. Underscoring the importance of VAWA to the Clinton-Gore Administration, the first lady said that Vice President Al Gore was set to send a letter sometime on Monday to Congress urging it reauthorization. And Maryland Attorney General Joseph Curran, who attended Monday's event, said that the National Association of Attorneys General would soon follow suit with a letter of its own. Curran's state has used VAWA funds to streamline procedures, provide sensitivity training for judges and court personnel and provide assistance services to women in need, Curran said. As a result of those changes, he explained: "We've righted some wrongs." Maryland prosecutors are now more likely to view domestic violence as a punishable crime -- and not a simple "lovers' quarrel." "It is an epidemic that knows no racial, political, socio-economic or age limitation," Rep. Morella noted. "When we passed the landmark Violence Against Women Act in 1994, America's 'dirty little secret' came out from under the rug," added Morella, the chief sponsor of the reauthorization bill in the House. "Equally important, this Act has dramatically changed the attitudes of Americans, policy makers and law enforcement officials that there is no excuse for domestic violence. Reflecting that shift in attitude, the House bill currently enjoys overwhelming support -- with 195 co-sponsors -- and Morella noted that the Judiciary Committee is set to give its nod of approval to the legislation next week. The Senate bill, co-sponsored by Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Joe Biden (D-Delaware) also enjoys widespread support in that chamber, despite a recent Supreme Court ruling that struck a portion of the act's provisions on rape. VAWA "is about more than money," said Rose Pulliam, an Alabama-based women's advocate. Action by Congress, she explained, shows women and children that they are a priority. "So the message goes out," Clinton said. "Congress must not fail to act. To do so would be to fail women and children." MORE STORIES:Tuesday, June 13, 2000
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