More than 50 percent of women murdered in the United States are killed by current or former male partners, and it is estimated that one in four women in the United States will be assaulted by a domestic partner in her lifetime. Violence and victimization also greatly impact young girls and adolescents. It has been estimated that between one in three or one in four girls has been sexually victimized by the time she reaches 18 years of age. The United States has responded by enacting tougher laws, establishing better training curriculums for health providers, and increasing funding for battered women's shelters. Since its inception 18 months ago, more than 200,000 women have called the hotline for help and advice in their most pressing time of need.
Heterosexual contact is now the fastest growing mode of transmission.
In the United States, the threat is even greater for women of color. African American and Hispanic women made up 76 percent of the female AIDS cases reported to date. The NIH and CDC are leading an integrated research strategy for HIV and AIDS, funding studies to develop improved behavioral and biomedical interventions to give women effective tools to reduce their risk of HIV infection. Cairo also encouraged us to take a more global view of issues affecting the health of women. We now realize that the international issue of female genital mutilation has become a domestic issue.