[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 23, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H3702]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE IN HONOR OF VICTIMS RIGHTS WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to pay a 
special tribute and certainly with a great deal of remorse to the 
victims of crime throughout America. We honor this week Victims Rights 
Week, and we pay tribute to all of the men and women and children in 
this country whose lives have been cut short by hideous acts of 
violence.
  In particular, I must cite several heinous crimes in my community: 
the vicious murders of Jennifer Ertman, Elizabeth Pena and Monique 
Miller of Houston, TX. Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16, 
left a party and were taking a shortcut home near a park on June 24, 
1993, when they crossed paths with 6 youths engaged in a drunken gang 
initiation rite. The two girls were repeatedly raped before being 
strangled and stomped to death by a mob.
  Monique Miller was murdered and sexually abused by a repeat offender.
  These teenagers and this very young child will never live out their 
dreams and live up to the great potential that each of them possessed. 
Their families will never see them achieve all that they should have. 
They will never attend a school dance again, go to college, get married 
or have their own families. Their dreams and the dreams that their 
parents had for them have been destroyed by senseless violence.
  There is growing recognition in this country that most sex offense 
victims are children and that reporting of these offenses is still low. 
The FBI law enforcement bulletin reported that only 1 to 10 percent of 
child molestation cases are ever reported to police, and a National 
Victim Center survey estimated that 61 percent of rape victims are less 
than 18 years of age; 29 percent are less than 11 years of age.
  A recent United States Department of Justice study of 11 
jurisdictions and the District of Columbia reported that 10,000 women 
under the age of 18 were raped in 1992 in these jurisdictions. At least 
3,800 were children under the age of 12.
  According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the FBI, children 
under the age of 18 accounted for 11 percent of all murder victims in 
the United States in 1994. Between 1976 and 1994, an estimated 37,000 
children were murdered. And half of all murders in 1994 were committed 
with a handgun; about 7 in 10 victims age 15 to 17 were killed with a 
handgun.
  Clearly, we must do more to protect our children from violence. This 
requires more than jailing sex offenders and violent criminals after 
they commit crimes, although swift and effective punishment is 
important. This requires strong prevention and education which will 
keep our children from becoming victims of violent crime.
  Tomorrow the House Committee on the Judiciary, of which I am a 
member, will mark up H.R. 2137, also known as Megan's Law, in honor of 
7-year old Megan Kanka who was raped, strangled and murdered by a 
twice-convicted pedophile who lived across the street from her. I will 
be a cosponor of this legislation.
  This bill would amend the 1994 crime bill to require States to 
release relevant information regarding persons convicted of molesting 
or kidnapping children and certain other sex crimes, when it is 
necessary to protect the public. This bill would guarantee the 
appropriate dissemination of information so that parents, school 
officials and community groups can responsibly use the information in 
order to protect their children.
  Today I pay tribute to these teenagers, Jennifer and Elizabeth and 
children like Monique and Megan, and I ask during Victims Rights Week 
we take time to recognize the victims of violent crime and work 
together to prevent senseless violence in our communities. Let us stand 
up against the repeal of the assault weapons ban. Let us recognize that 
the Brady bill must be reinforced to prevent reckless utilization of 
handguns. Let us understand that we must stop the siege of our children 
by pedophiles who recklessly go from State to State and perpetrate 
their violent acts on our innocent children.
  Let us bring back innocence to America again so that men and women 
and children can be safe in their homes. Let us stand up for the 
victims of America.
  We owe it to Jennifer, Elizabeth, Monique and Megan and all of the 
others whose lives have been snuffed out as a result of violent crimes. 
We owe it to the victims of Oklahoma City, and we owe it to ourselves. 
We owe it to America. Let us stand up against crime and let us stand 
for victims.

                          ____________________