We welcome wide support and co-sponsorship of this resolution. Violence Against Women Eliminating violence against women is one of President Clinton's top priorities. This legislation established the Violence Against Women Office, which leads a comprehensive national effort to combine tough new federal laws with assistance to states and localities to fight domestic violence, sexual assault, and other crimes against women. We are pleased that Bonnie Campbell, Director of the Office of Violence Against Women, will be one of the panelists on Thursday. Women and Armed Conflict Rape and sexual assault continue to be tactics of war.
Refugee women are vulnerable to violence at every stage of their flight.
Sexual violence, including rape, is one of the most terrible dangers confronting them. Refugee women are often single-handedly responsible for the survival of their children even when their own survival is at stake. The United States has long been a leading advocate for focusing attention on the special needs of refugee women. The Untied States has provided funding for many programs designed to improve the protection of women refugees. One of these is the Bosnian Women's Initiative, which promotes the reintegration of women into the economy of Bosnia through training programs, legal assistance, and support for micro-enterprise projects.