    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
    [March 21, 1995]
    [Pages 376-377]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Appointment of Bonnie Campbell as Director of the
    Office of Violence Against Women
    March 21, 1995

        Thank you, Sarah, for your wonderful remarks and for the powerful
    example of your life. I was watching you speak today, thinking of your
    story, wondering how many other stories like yours there might have been
    if our society had responded more properly and how many more there will
    be now because we are going to do the right things.
        I thank Attorney General Reno and Secretary Shalala, and of course,
    Senator Biden and Senator Hatch and Senator Boxer, Senator Harkin,
    Senator Kerry, Senator Moseley-Braun, Senator Wellstone--we've nearly
    got a quorum--[laughter]--Congresswoman DeLauro, Congresswoman Mink,
    Congresswoman Morella, Congresswoman Blanche Lambert Lincoln. I thank
    you all for being here.
        This is an important day for me. This is an issue with which I have
    dealt as President, as a Governor, as an attorney general, as a citizen,
    going for years with my wife to the shelters in our State for battered
    women and their children, and as a human being. And I have looked
    forward to this day for a very long time.
        We spend a lot of time in Washington, and we are now having a great
    and fascinating debate about what the role of this Government ought to
    be and how we're going to get into the next century and how we're going
    to create opportunity for all the American people. This is a good thing
    that we're doing. It's exciting, and I'm having a good time. But you
    know, let's be honest with each other. If children aren't safe in their
    homes, if college women aren't safe in their dorms, if mothers can't
    raise their children in safety, then the American dream will never be
    real for them, no matter what we do in economic policy, no matter how
    strong we are in standing against the forces that would seek to
    undermine our values beyond our borders. This is key to everything else
    we want to do.
        So I applaud the Members of the Congress, and especially those who
    have been recognized already, especially Senator Biden and Senator
    Hatch, for recognizing that we had to take responsibility for trying to
    come to grips with issues that we ordinarily would think of as issues
    that belong to local law enforcement or local social agencies or even to
    the privacy of the home.
        When we were fighting so hard last year to pass the crime bill, with
    the emphasis on more police and more punishment and more prisons and
    more prevention, one of the things that almost got lost was the Violence
    Against Women Act. I think it almost got lost for a very regrettable
    reason in this day and time: The Republicans and the Democrats weren't
    fighting about it. We really had a national consensus that we had to do
    something. And because we knew we had to do something and it passed, it
    was almost unnoticed.
        But you know, domestic violence is now the number one health risk
    for women between the ages of 15 and 44 in our country. If you think
    about it, it's a bigger threat than cancer or car accidents. The
    incidence of rape is rising at 3 times the rate of the crime rate. The
    FBI estimates that a woman is beaten in this country once every 12
    seconds. And we know, too, that often when a spouse is beaten, the
    children are beaten as well.
        For too long, domestic violence has been considered purely a private
    matter. From now on, it is a problem we all share. What are we going to
    do about it? The first thing we have to do is do what we can to prevent
    violence. One part of the crime bill I am proudest of will help in our
    efforts to stop repeat offenses against women. It will prohibit
    individuals with a restraining order against them from purchasing or
    possessing a gun, no ifs, ands, or buts.
        When crimes do occur, we must restore the rights of victims to their
    proper place. That means giving them the right to speak at sentencing
    hearings. And above all, it means helping victims rebuild their lives.
    We'll require sexual offenders to pay restitution to their victims. We
    must help people who suffer violence put their lives back on track and
    put the burdens on the criminals where they belong.
        To help in prevention and in assisting victims, the crime bill
    establishes a Violence Against Women Office at the Department of
    Justice. Today I am pleased to announce that Bonnie

    [[Page 377]]

    Campbell of Iowa will be the first Director of that office. As Iowa's
    first female attorney general, Bonnie Campbell helped to enact strong
    domestic violence and anti-stalking laws in that State. She worked with
    counties and college campuses to raise awareness about domestic
    violence. And she endorsed a victims' rights amendment to the State
    constitution. A big part of her new job will be helping States and
    communities to deal with domestic violence.
        Today we are making available $26 million to help the States open
    rape crisis centers, to staff domestic violence hotlines, to provide
    victims advocates, to pay for more officers and more training. This is
    the first downpayment on a 6-year commitment of $800 million for this
    purpose.
        This is part of a report I should make at least to these Members of
    Congress who are here about the crime bill. The work has already begun.
    In just 4 months we have awarded more than 16,000 police officers to
    half the police departments in America. We're taking guns and criminals
    off the streets. The ``three strikes and you're out'' law is being
    enforced in Iowa and in many other States throughout the country. In
    short, we are under budget and ahead of schedule. And I want more of
    that from our Government.
        We passed this crime bill with bipartisan support. And I'd be the
    last person to say that it's the end-all and be-all, the ultimate answer
    to all the problems of crime in America. But I will not permit the crime
    bill to be undercut. It is just starting to make a difference in the
    lives of Americans. We have to keep going. We have to make a difference
    in the lives of everyone, but especially the women and the children we
    are called here today to pledge our allegiance to protect.
        Let me begin this introduction of Bonnie Campbell and end it with a
    simple thank you. It's hard to get anybody with good sense to leave Iowa
    to come to Washington. [Laughter] And I thank her for doing it and for
    the shining example she has set in public service and for the excellent
    work I am confident she will do in this important position.
        Bonnie.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:11 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Sarah M. Buel, Evelyn Green Davis
    fellow in law at Radcliffe College and 17-year activist on family
    violence issues. Following the President's remarks, Ms. Campbell made
    remarks.