    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [March 11, 1998]
    [Pages 358-360]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Memorandum on Steps To Combat Violence Against Women and Trafficking in
    Women and Girls
    March 11, 1998

    Memorandum for the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the
    Administrator of the Agency for International Development, the Director
    of the United States Information Agency

    Subject: Steps to Combat Violence Against Women and Trafficking in Women
    and Girls

        As we celebrate International Women's Day today, we highlight the
    achievements of women around the world. We also acknowledge that there
    is much work yet to be done to ensure that women's human rights are
    protected and respected. The momentum generated by the United Nations
    Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 continues to
    encourage our government, as well as nations around the world, to
    fulfill our commitments to improve the lives of women and girls.
        I have, once again, called upon the Senate to give its advice and
    consent to ratification to the Convention on the Elimination of all
    Forms of Discrimination Against Women, thus enabling the United States
    to join 161 other countries in support of the Convention. This
    Convention is an effective tool that can be used to combat violence
    against women, reform unfair inheritance and property rights, and
    strengthen women's access to fair employment and economic opportunity.
    Ratification of this Convention will enhance our efforts to promote the
    status of women around the world. As we look at Afghanistan and the
    egregious human rights violations committed against women and girls at
    the hands of the Taliban, we recognize that this is an issue of global
    importance.
        My Administration is working hard to eliminate violence against
    women in all its forms. Our efforts help to combat this human rights
    violation around the world and here in the United States. As part of the
    1994 Crime Bill, I signed into law the Violence Against Women Act. This
    legislation declares certain forms of violence against women to be
    Federal crimes and provides for critical assistance to States, tribes,
    and local communities in their efforts

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    to respond to this problem. The Department of Justice is implementing
    the Violence Against Women Act and working with communities across the
    country to promote criminal prosecution and provide services to victims.
    Through the Department of Health and Human Services, we have established
    for the first time a nationwide domestic violence hotline, so that women
    throughout the country can call one toll-free number and be connected to
    a local domestic violence support center. We have come a long way since
    1994, and I am proud of our efforts.
        Each day recognition of the importance of this issue grows around
    the world. In recent years, many countries have begun to respond to
    calls for legislation and government programs addressing violence
    against women. The international community increasingly regards violence
    against women as a fundamental human rights violation, an impediment to
    a nation's development, and an obstacle to women's full participation in
    democracy.
        Today I am directing the Secretary of State, the Attorney General,
    and the President's Interagency Council on Women to continue and expand
    their work to combat violence against women here in the United States
    and around the world. We have made great progress since the enactment of
    the Violence Against Women Act in 1994, but there remains much to be
    done. We must continue to work to implement the Act fully and to restore
    the Act's protection for immigrant victims of domestic violence here in
    the United States so that they will not be forced to choose between
    deportation and abuse.
        The problem of trafficking in women and girls, an insidious form of
    violence, has received a great deal of attention from the world
    community. This is an international problem with national implications.
    Here in the United States, we have seen cases of trafficking for the
    purposes of forced prostitution, sweatshop labor, and exploitative
    domestic servitude. The victims in these cases often believe they will
    be entering our country to secure a decent job. Instead, they are
    virtual prisoners, with no resources, little recourse, and no protection
    against violations of their human rights. My Administration is committed
    to combating trafficking in women and girls with a focus on the areas of
    prevention, victim assistance and protection, and enforcement. Our work
    on this issue has been enhanced by a strong partnership with
    nongovernmental groups and the U.S. Congress.
        I am also directing the Secretary of State, the Attorney General,
    and the President's Interagency Council on Women to increase national
    and international awareness about trafficking in women and girls. I want
    to ensure that young women and girls are educated about this problem so
    that they will not fall prey to traffickers' tactics of coercion,
    violence, fraud, and deceit.
        I also want to provide protection to victims. And finally, I want to
    enhance the capacity of law enforcement worldwide to prevent women and
    girls from being trafficked and ensure that traffickers are punished.
        Therefore, I direct:
        I. The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of
    the Agency for International Development, to strengthen and expand our
    efforts to combat violence against women in all its forms around the
    world. These efforts should be responsive to government and
    nongovernment requests for partnerships, expert guidance, and technical
    assistance to address this human rights violation.
        II. The President's Interagency Council on Women to coordinate the
    United States Government response on trafficking in women and girls, in
    consultation with nongovernmental groups.
        III. The Attorney General to examine current treatment of victims of
    trafficking including to determine ways to insure: the provision of
    services for victims and witnesses in settings that secure their safety;
    precautions for the safe return of victims and witnesses to their
    originating countries; witness cooperation in criminal trials against
    traffickers; and consideration of temporary and/or permanent legal
    status for victims and witnesses of trafficking who lack legal status.
        IV. The Attorney General to review existing U.S. criminal laws and
    their current use to determine if they are adequate to prevent and deter
    trafficking in women and girls, to recommend any appropriate legal
    changes to ensure that trafficking is criminalized and that the
    consequences of trafficking are significant, and to review current
    prosecution efforts against traffickers in order to identify additional
    intelligence sources, evidentiary needs and resource capabilities.
        V. The Secretary of State to use our diplomatic presence around the
    world to work with

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    source, transit, and destination countries to develop strategies for
    protecting and assisting victims of trafficking and to expand and
    enhance anti-fraud training to stop the international trafficking of
    women and girls.
        VI. The Secretary of State to coordinate an intergovernmental
    response to the Government of Ukraine's request to jointly develop and
    implement a comprehensive strategy to combat trafficking in women and
    girls from and to Ukraine. The U.S.-Ukraine cooperation will serve as a
    model for a multi-disciplinary approach to combat trafficking that can
    be expanded to other countries.
        VII. The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Attorney
    General, to expand and strengthen assistance to the international
    community in developing and enacting legislation to combat trafficking
    in women and girls, to provide assistance to victims of trafficking, and
    to continue to expand efforts to train legal and law enforcement
    personnel worldwide.
        VIII. The Secretary of State and the Director of the United States
    Information Agency to expand public awareness campaigns targeted to warn
    potential victims of the methods used by traffickers.
        IX. The President's Interagency Council on Women to convene a
    gathering of government and nongovernment representatives from source,
    transit, and destination countries and representatives from
    international organizations to call attention to the issue of
    trafficking in women and girls and to develop strategies for combating
    this fundamental human rights violation.

                                                          William J. Clinton