[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