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REMARKS BY:	DONNA SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:		ACF Domestic Violence Conference, Chicago, Illinois
DATE:		August 30, 1999

I like that story because all of us at this conference have gathered to answer very similar questions. As we stand on the threshold of a new century and a new millennium, where must the domestic violence movement go? In what direction must we lead? And what course must we chart?

But before we discuss our future course, I think it's important to first pause and reflect on just how far we've already journeyed. Only 100 years ago-as we stood on the threshold of this century-it was legal in many localities for a man to beat his wife with a stick...just as long as the stick was no thicker than his thumb. That's where we got the term "rule of thumb." Just twenty-five years ago, domestic violence was still considered a "family matter," a "private matter."

And when a woman called out for help she got the same response as Karen. In the 1970's, Karen was living with an abusive husband. But-like many of the survivors here today-she was also forced to endure another tragedy. Because at that time there where no lifelines for battered women-no safe havens to heal, no safe passageways to a better life. When she went to doctors and hospitals, battered and bruised-in one case pregnant and black and blue from head to toe-no one questioned her...no one acknowledged the abuse...no one offered a helping hand. The abuse only stopped when Karen's husband was convicted of raping another woman.

And even when the Clinton Administration took office seven years ago, domestic violence was still seen by many people as just a "criminal justice" matter.

But because of you-the leaders and survivors here today. because of your tireless service and spirit-it's finally recognized that domestic violence is also a health care matter...it's a workplace matter.it's a community matter-and it matters to our nation. Thanks to you, families have shelters and services to help and heal them. Thanks to you, fewer calls for help go unnoticed, unheard or unanswered. And thanks to you, fewer women like Karen-in the words of another domestic violence survivor-must "Sorrow, grieve and suffer in silence."

That's why it's an honor for me to join all of you at this "Next Millennium Conference," the largest and most significant domestic violence conference of the past decade.and to help celebrate your achievements over the past quarter of a century.

During the last seven years, the Clinton Administration has continually supported your efforts. We've worked to create a comprehensive system that includes tough new penalties and programs to prosecute offenders.a seamless system of prevention and protection that follows a woman and her children from incident to safety...and an inclusive system that leaves no gaps large enough for anyone to fall through.

As some of you are aware, we've quadruped funding for shelters-and for critical services that abused women and their children need-regardless of whether or not they leave home. We established the National Domestic Violence Hotline-and over 340,000 individuals have already reached out for help. We're increasing the ability of battered women-especially those on welfare-to find safety-and then attain jobs and child support. We're planning a national conference on sexual assault-a counterpart to this gathering-in the coming months. And we're working to ensure reauthorization of the landmark Violence Against Women Act.

These are significant accomplishments...and accomplishments that would have been impossible without your leadership, your advocacy, and your commitment. But while we can all take pride in these accomplishments, we know that we still have far to go. Too many women are still having their bodies attacked and their spirits assaulted...too many women are still suffering shattered bones, shattered lives, and shattered dreams.

Helping those women...working together to develop a shared vision and strategies to end domestic violence in the millenium is, of course, why we've come together-and why the "National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women" was formed. Co-chaired by our outstanding Attorney General and me, the Council is an excellent example of the partnership that my department and the Justice department have formed to stop domestic violence. As we've worked to develop our "National Agenda for the Nation on Violence Against Women"-an agenda which some of you will be discussing over the next few days- we've focused our attention on three main areas: Prevention and Early Intervention; Service Provision; and Changing Social Norms and Attitudes. And today-for the very first time-I want to discuss these areas with you because they also represent the three key challenges to ending domestic violence in the millennium. They are challenges that must guide our work long after this conference has concluded. And they are challenges that cannot be met without your commitment, your creativity, and your compassion.

When it comes to prevention and early intervention, the real challenge is to ensure that domestic violence efforts are firmly rooted in our communities-where women live, work, worship and go to school.

That's why I'm pleased to announce today eleven new grant awards for community awareness and domestic violence prevention projects that will help all members of our families. These grants are being made to local organizations and advocacy groups--like the Boise Forte Reservation Tribal Council and Casa Myrna Vazquez--to help maintain those local networks that can best respond to domestic violence in their communities.

Of course, all community work must be guided by one paramount goal: To ensure that wherever a battered women goes-whether church or workplace or grocery story....whether court room or board room or treatment room-she's met with the same understanding, expertise and sensitivity that she would find in this conference room.

For this to happen, we need all of you-our grassroots and community leaders. You've already changed our criminal justice system for the better, and you're working to ensure that battered women get the services and support they need. Now you must infuse your experience and energy into every place and network that a battered woman may encounter.

But you won't be alone in your efforts-because my department's also been striving to further that paramount goal. We've been working with health care and substance abuse professionals to help them prevent, identify and treat domestic violence.

Recently, we awarded eight "health" grants-to help improve the health care response to domestic violence. And later this year we'll be holding a national summit for social workers. We've also produced a guide for HHS employees entitled "Understanding and Responding to Domestic Violence in the Workplace."

And for the past three years we've held a "domestic violence fair" for HHS employees. The fair's activities include a play on domestic violence, exhibitions-and participants ranging from the YMCA to "Men Against Rape" who provide a wide range of information. What's truly remarkable isn't the breath of activities-but the response. Each year we increase the amount of available material-but no matter how much we provide-it's simply never enough. That tells me there's a real need for accurate, timely domestic violence information for those being abused in our communities...and for those who want to help. And this is especially true for our underserved communities.

I'm proud of what my department is doing to reach underserved women-including minorities, low-income women, youth, women on welfare, immigrants, and women with disabilities-women who may never have been touched by domestic violence programs. We helped establish the Sacred Circle, a national resource center to end violence against Native American women, and the Latino Domestic Violence Initiative, among others. The National Domestic Violence Hotline has been working to improve outreach to deaf battered women. And today, I'm also pleased to announce three additional grants: To Florida A&M University, Texas Southern University, and Prairie View University, to help train researchers, scholars and practitioners working on domestic violence in underserved communities.

All of these efforts will help ensure that domestic violence will not remain hidden in the shadows-or in the dark corners-of any our communities.

Of course, as we work in our communities, our second challenge is to ensure appropriate service provision. Above all, that means we must correctly address the needs of battered women at every point across the arc of life. The needs of the young woman trying to take care of her children will be very different from those of the elderly grandmother who may need her children to take care of her. Since a woman's vulnerability, risks, and skills change throughout her lifetime-we must appreciate those differences and respond with appropriate services and support.

And as we do, since women-and children-who experience violence need a wide range of support and protection, we must always ensure that any discussion of domestic violence services includes the following: Health care for mother and child; jobs; counseling; substance abuse treatment; child care; child support; housing and legal assistance.

Finally, we must also find ways to provide services to those abusers who are seeking help. At its crux, the challenge of service provision recognizes that, ultimately, we can only heal the scar of domestic violence if we treat the entire family.

Our final-and perhaps most important-challenge is to change social norms and customs-because domestic violence will only end when we address those conditions that sustain violence in our society. It will only end when we challenge those customs and mores that say it's wrong to hit a stranger-but not a partner. And it will only end when every child in America realizes that there is never a good reason for anyone-man or woman-to raise a hand in anger.

We must develop bold new strategies-for both children and adults-to make domestic violence unacceptable. And to break the cycle of violence and abuse, we must begin with our children. Too many children are growing up in homes where they are learning the family tradition of battering. We need to find out how to protect them, and how to reduce the risk that they will commit-or endure-domestic violence when then grow up. That's why my department-partnered with the Justice Department-held a landmark national summit in June on children exposed to violence. The summit is part of a broader initiative to help focus public attention on the problem-and to learn how we can help all family members who are suffering from domestic abuse.

Of course, if we want to change social norms, we can't forget the men. We need to reach out to a broad spectrum of men to help them understand what it takes to be responsible husbands, fathers and friends. And for those who refuse to understand-we must hold them accountable.

This will not be easy, but I know that, working together-and with you leading the way-we can do it. We can meet the challenges of prevention and early intervention; service provision; and changing social norms and customs. And we can move forward in our battle against domestic violence-but only if you infuse your experience and energy into every network that battered women encounter. I'm reminded that Oliver Wendell Holmes-perhaps on that famous train trip-once remarked, "The greatest thing in the world is not so much where we stand, but in what direction we are moving." I've no doubt that we're moving toward the day when we will have the resources and research to prevent domestic violence.when every home will be a safe home.and when we can finally consign domestic violence to the history books once and for all. That's my vision for the millennium-and I know it's a vision that all of you share.