[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 183 (Friday, November 17, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S17330-S17331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            THE OKINAWA RAPE

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I think many of us were shocked to read 
today that the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific called the 
recent rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl ``absolutely 

[[Page S 17331]]
stupid,'' and said Friday the incident could have been avoided if the 
U.S. servicemen had simply paid for sex. The commander of the Pacific 
fleet in essence said, if they had taken the money that they spent to 
buy a van, they could have bought a girl.
  Mr. President, that is a sickening statement, and I want to commend 
my colleague from California, Senator Feinstein, for responding very 
quickly when she heard of this. And what she said is very important. 
What she said is that rape is not about sex, and it is not about money. 
It is a violent act.
  I am very pleased that on the floor this evening is the author of the 
Violence Against Women Act, Senator Biden of Delaware. I was so honored 
when I was in the House to be coauthor and carried the bill on that 
side, and after many years the bill became law.
  But I say to my colleagues that until this attitude changes, until 
people view rape as a violent act--it is about power, it is about the 
abuse of power--then we are never going to make any progress.
  For the commander of the Pacific fleet to have said this--and he did 
apologize, I am happy to say--it is extraordinary. I only hope that the 
Secretary of Defense will take proper action in this matter.
  Mr. President, I know others will speak about this tonight. But I am 
going to shift very briefly to another subject.

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