    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [October 8, 2003]
    [Pages 1265-1269]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Domestic Violence Prevention
    October 8, 2003

        President Bush. Thank you all for coming, and welcome to the White
    House. In a few moments, I will sign a proclamation naming October
    National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I do so to focus attention
    on this urgent and very important issue. I will announce two initiatives
    we are launching to combat domestic violence in our country.
        A home, a family, should be a place of support, should be a peaceful
    place, not a place of cruelty and brutality. Domestic violence betrays
    the most basic duties of life. It violates the law. It's wrong. It is a
    crime that must be confronted by individuals, by communities, and by
    government.
        All of you here today have taken up the vital cause--the really
    important cause--of defending the vulnerable from domestic violence. Too
    often its victims suffer in secret and in silence. You make it easier
    for them to step out of the shadows and get the help and love they need.
    Your compassion is saving lives. Your country is grateful. Thank you for
    what you do.
        I appreciate Tommy Thompson being
    here. He's the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Many of the
    initiatives on family violence come from his Department. As Governor of
    Wisconsin, he made a name for dealing with domestic violence, and he's
    carried his passion, as have I, to Washington, DC, to help.
        I appreciate Jack Potter, who is the
    Postmaster General. There's a reason he is here. It has something to do
    with a stamp that I'll be describing here. [Laughter]
        I appreciate very much Diane Stuart, the
    Director of the Office of Violence Against Women, from the Department of
    Justice. Thank you for coming. Thank you for being a leader.
        We've got a special Senator here with us today, a person who flew
    all the way back from his home State of Colorado. He's here because he
    sponsored the legislation creating the Stop Family Violence stamp. I'm
    honored that you've come back, Senator Campbell. Ben Nighthorse
    Campbell is a compassionate, decent
    human being, and I'm proud to call him friend. Thanks for coming.
        I want to thank Sheryl Cates, who is the
    executive director of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the
    Texas Council on Family Violence. She's on the stage with me. The
    hotline received its one millionth call in August. That's a lot of
    calls, but it's a lot of help as well. And I want to thank Sheryl for
    being here, my fellow Texan. [Laughter] Lynn Rosenthal is the executive director of the National Network to End
    Domestic Violence. Lynn is with us as well here. Thank you for coming.
    And Rita Smith, the executive director of the
    National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, is on the stage as well.
    These three women are leaders in the attempt to make somebody's life
    better, and I really appreciate you all coming.
        As well we've got Monique Blais who's with
    us today. Monique brought her mother, Marci, to
    the White House. [Laughter] The reason Monique is here is that she
    designed the artwork for the Stop Family Violence stamp. And I really
    appreciate your talents, and when people see the stamp, they'll--when I
    say ``talent,'' they'll

    [[Page 1266]]

    know what I mean when I say ``talent,'' because it's really a great
    piece of work. We want to thank you for coming. And I want to thank you
    all for being here.
        Domestic violence cuts across every line of geography and income.
    Abuse is found in every community in our country--every community--and
    it must be fought in every community. Hundreds of thousands of incidents
    of domestic violence are reported every year. The sad news is, many go
    unreported. About a third of women murdered each year in America are
    killed by this type of violence, and nearly half the households where
    domestic violence occurs also has a child under 12 years old. There's
    more than one victim.
        Women and children are facing dangers in this country, and they need
    strong allies. That's what we're here to talk about. I'm not only here
    to thank you for being strong allies, I'm asking others around our
    country to work with the people here. There's plenty of opportunities
    for our fellow citizens to step forth and be a partner in helping save
    and heal lives.
        Fortunately, there are people, victims who can find help. That's the
    good news about America. The bad news is, there's too much domestic
    violence. The good news is, people can find help. Faith-based and
    community groups provide refuge and counseling and good legal advice.
    And a lot of time, an abused woman needs good, solid legal advice.
        Industry groups are recycling old cell phones. It's an interesting
    contribution, isn't it? They're saying, ``Here's an opportunity for you
    to be able to call to get help.''
        Lifetime television--I know some folks representing Lifetime
    television are here--is promoting domestic violence awareness in its
    programming and public service campaigns, and we thank you for that.
    Part of making sure that we help save lives is to educate people about
    the opportunities available.
        Business Strengthening America is a private organization of business
    leaders who are responding to a call I gave them earlier, after
    September the 11th. I said, ``Why don't you become an active
    participant, as responsible business leaders, in helping meet our
    society's needs?'' They've joined forces with the Corporate Alliance to
    End Partner Violence. Those two groups are working to raise awareness of
    the issues in the workplace, and as importantly, they're encouraging
    employees to become volunteers in the efforts to help those who have
    been abused.
        I want to thank the responsible corporate leaders in America for
    hearing the call that in a responsible society, you've got to behave
    responsibly yourself and encourage others to follow their heart.
        The fight against domestic violence is a national movement. I urge
    people to join the movement. Part of an awareness month is not only
    making people aware but a call to service. Today all of us up here are
    calling people to service, to serve your community and your country. If
    you want to love your neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself,
    there's ample opportunity to do so in the fight against domestic
    violence.
        Our Government is engaged in the fight, as it should be. Government
    has got a duty to treat domestic violence as a serious crime. It's part
    of our duty. If you treat something as a serious crime, then there must
    be serious consequences. Otherwise, it's not very serious. Last year,
    Federal prosecutors for violence against women crimes increased--Federal
    prosecutions increased by 35 percent. Our prosecutors are doing their
    job. They're finding the abusers, and they're throwing the book at them.
    And that's important.
        People who commit crimes must understand with certainty, there is a
    consequence. One way to change behavior is to make it clear to people in
    our society, if you break the law, if you beat up a woman, if you abuse
    your wife, you will be held to account. There must be certainty

    [[Page 1267]]

    in the law, and we must have prosecutors who understand that we expect
    them to be tough. And they are.
        The administration has also increased funding for Justice
    Department's Violence Against Women's programs by $100 million this
    year. We're now spending money at the highest levels in our Nation's
    history, and it's money well spent. Programs which help local
    communities combat domestic violence and sexual assault and stalking and
    helps the victims of those crimes are now funded at $390 million a year.
    And I want to thank Ben and the Members of the Congress for working to
    see that our appropriations request was met.
        I'm going to talk about two other measures that I think will help in
    the fight against domestic violence. First, I've directed $20 million in
    2004 to help communities create family justice centers, where victims of
    domestic violence can find the services they need in one place, one
    central location. Too often, the services designed to help victims are
    uncoordinated and scattered throughout communities.
        Imagine what it would be like if you were an abused person trying to
    find help, and you went from one place to another. With laws and police
    and all the rules and regulations of a free society, it must be
    confusing and disheartening. The victim has been so traumatized, and
    then she has to tell her story over and over again, which repeats the
    trauma. There's a better way to do this. There's a better way to help
    people who need help in our society.
        San Diego figured it out. They've got a city attorney named
    Casey Gwinn--who's right there--who recognized
    that there's a more compassionate way to help people who have been
    abused. And so he did something about it. He created what's called the
    San Diego Family Justice Center. It's a full-service center for domestic
    violence victims, where police officers and prosecutors and probation
    officers and civil attorneys and counselors and doctors and victims
    advocates and chaplains all come together to help somebody. The
    runaround is over in San Diego. There's a central location where
    somebody who desperately needs help can find compassion and help.
    Victims can pick up food vouchers. They can get help with
    transportation. They can file for a temporary restraining order against
    their abusers. They can sign up for supervised visitation programs to
    keep their children safe. They can get their cell phone there. They can
    find help.
        The San Diego Family Justice Center opened a year ago. It has
    already served thousands of victims. They tell me the story of Caitlin
    Effgen, who is a brave woman who lives in San
    Diego. It's probably, unfortunately, a typical story I'm about to tell
    you. What's atypical is that she found help in a brand new way of
    helping victims of domestic violence. Her boyfriend started hitting her.
    She tried to break up with him, and he began to stalk her. In other
    words, he was not only abusing her one way, he decided to abuse her
    another as well. And she went to the authorities and got a restraining
    order, which, as the experts will tell you, sometimes it works and
    sometimes it didn't, because in her case, the boyfriend continued to
    harass her, just wouldn't leave her alone. You can imagine the fear she
    felt. He pled guilty to charges, but he still stalked and haunted her
    mind.
        And then she discovered the center. They
    helped her get counseling. They got another restraining order. A victims
    advocate joined her and her dad in court. In other words, she got all
    the help she needed. I can imagine the relief that she must have felt
    when somebody who heard the call to love a neighbor did just that. The
    guy ended up in--behind bars, which was the right thing to do, and I
    congratulate the San Diego law enforcement officers. But more important,
    she got to remember what life was like without her misery. Those are her
    words, not mine. She found compassion.
        The funding I've set aside will help begin a national movement
    toward more of these

    [[Page 1268]]

    centers. Twelve will be funded through this initiative. When they work,
    there's another 12 and maybe even more. Maybe we can escalate the
    request. But the point is, we have found what can work in order to
    provide efficient help, to channel the compassion so somebody can get
    their life back together. So I want to thank you for coming,
    Casey. Good job. You're doing your duty as a
    public servant.
        The second initiative will expand the good work of community and
    faith-based groups as they provide counseling and mentoring and other
    services to children who have witnessed domestic violence. The children
    who witness domestic violence are prone to depression and anxiety.
    That's natural. You could imagine what it would be like for a little
    child to witness such an act. They need help and love. We have a moral
    obligation in our society to help relieve the suffering and to show that
    there is a better life.
        I like to remind people, you know, that--I wish Government could
    make people love one another. I would sign the piece of legislation.
    [Laughter] But I know that there are loving people who are willing to
    love. It's a--by the way, a lot of times it's from a higher law; it's
    not the law of government. And so what we want to do is spend $5
    billion--$5 million this year on initiatives--[laughter]--a million
    here, a million there. [Laughter] Let's start small--what do you think--
    [laughter]--to start an initiative called Safe and Bright Futures for
    Children. That's what we want to start. The Department of Health and
    Human Services will provide funding to community and faith-based groups
    to help children escape the cycle of violence, to get counseling, to get
    mentoring, to become involved in healthy activities like sports or
    scouting or community services.
        The money will support programs at sites all across America. We
    believe it will be--make a difference in lives. One such program is run
    by the Reverend Cheryle Albert, who is with
    us today. She works with Safe Haven Interfaith Partnership Against
    Domestic Violence in Boston, Massachusetts. Probably rooting for the Red
    Sox, aren't you? [Laughter] She teaches congregations about domestic
    violence. She helps train them to help troubled families through crisis
    intervention and counseling. Here's what she says: ``The power behind
    domestic violence is that it's a secret. We work with the faith
    community because we feel it's the best way to break the silence.''
        When men and women face violence and injustice, it is important for
    our Government to understand that oftentimes they turn to their churches
    or synagogues or mosques for help, as they should. These are places of
    love. They exist because of love. They are wise to do so, and our
    Government should not fear the faith-based programs which help save
    lives. Matter of fact, we ought to welcome the faith-based programs into
    helping people who suffer.
        Oftentimes, it requires faith to help heal a heart and to help bring
    a bright future into some child's life. This initiative welcomes the
    faith-based programs all across our society. This initiative takes
    taxpayers' money to encourage faith-based programs to become important
    partners in the fight against domestic violence.
        I am not the least bit hesitant to encourage our Government to use
    Federal tax money to rally the armies of compassion which exist in every
    society in America. We must not fear faith in America. We must welcome
    faith in America to help solve our problems.
        Now, to the stamp. And the stamp will be placed out in the hall; you
    can see it on the way out. The Safe and Bright Futures program will be
    supported by the sales of the stamp. There have been three such stamps.
    This is the third where the revenues collected from the sales of the
    stamps, designed by one of our Nation's budding artists--[laughter]--
    will be--will use that money. And as I understand it, the stamp is for
    sale today? That's why

    [[Page 1269]]

    the head of the Post Office is here. [Laughter]
        Audience member. Buy them.
        President Bush. Buy them? Well, and so anybody who wants to support
    effective programs in our fight against domestic violence ought to buy
    the stamp. The money goes to these programs, and it's a great way for
    people to use the mail and to express their desires to make their
    communities a better place.
        I want to thank you all for coming today. I want to thank you for
    your commitment. For those who are involved with saving lives, it's a
    hard job. It's got to be hard to provide a shoulder onto which someone
    can cry or a sympathetic ear for some child who wonders what their
    future is like. That can only be accomplished, however, when loving
    Americans hear the call. If any American is interested in serving, one
    good way to do so is to become involved in these programs that are
    saving lives as a result of the brutal crime of domestic violence.
        The strength of our country is not our military. It's not our
    wallet. The strength of our country is the heart and soul of the
    American people. And today I'm honored to be in the presence of
    Americans who serve your country and your community by helping people
    who have been hurt.
        May God bless your work. May God bless those who are victims of
    domestic violence. And may God continue to bless our country. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:13 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. The National Domestic Violence Awareness Month proclamation of
    October 8 is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.