Fact Sheet II
Making Our Homes and Communities Safer
"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..." President Clinton March 21, 1995In a typical year, more than 4.5 million American women 12 years or older are victims of a threatened or attempted violent crime.Initiated Programs to Combat Violence Against Women
The Violence Against Women Act, part of the President's crime bill, takes a comprehensive approach to combating violence against women. The law will help improve the responses by the police and the courts to domestic violence crimes, enhance lighting in public places, force sex offenders to pay restitution, increase funding to battered women's shelters and ensure that a "stay away" order obtained against an abuser will no longer stop at the state line. In addition, the Administration has: created the Violence Against Women Office in the Department of Justice to lead a national effort to combine tough new federal laws with help for states and localities; created a national domestic violence hotline to help ensure that battered women and their families have access to help at all times; and funded projects linking organizations working to combat domestic violence with aging agencies, an effort specifically aimed at protecting older women against domestic violence.Signed the Brady Bill and Assault Weapons Ban
The Brady law works to keep handguns out of the reach of criminals -- including men under restraining orders for domestic threats. The law: A five-day waiting period and background check. The assault weapons ban outlaws the 19 deadliest assault weapons and their copies.Signed Three-Strikes-And-Out Law
This law puts criminals behind bars for good if they commit three violent crimes.Supported Notifying Communities about Release of Sex Offenders
This new law requires appropriate community notification when serious sex offenders have been released.Introduced Operation Safe Home to Fight Crime in Public Housing
To combat crime in public and assisted housing, the Administration launched an aggressive interagency effort for a more effective Operation Safe Home Program. In one year, more than 3,000 criminals were arrested and $1.5 million in drugs were seized.Supported the Family Preservation and Support Act
The Clinton Administration won bipartisan support for this act -- the first federal investment in child welfare prevention in more than a decade. With federal help and support, states have been able to use these resources flexibly and creatively to strengthen families and reduce child abuse.
Office of Women's Initiatives and Outreach. Phone: 202 456-7300; Fax: 202 456-7311
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