On September 1, President Clinton announced he would not deploy a national missile defense— "Star Wars"—system at this time. A victory! But the battle is merely delayed. Watch for more action as a new Congress and president take office. We won once; we can again.

The Department of Defense Authorization conference committee has not finished working out the differences between the Senate and House authorization bills for FY2001. We believe the original language of the Warner-Allard provision concerning "mini-nukes" was weakened by House Democrats on the conference committee. Congratulations to everyone who worked hard to contact members on the committee. This is a victory for us!

Violence Against Women Act
By Ann Ober

In 1994, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a landmark piece of legislation that provides federal funding for efforts to combat domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Today, people across the U.S. are fighting to reauthorize this legislation. Their fight is strengthened by Department of Justice data that reports 24.8% of women surveyed have been raped and/or physically assaulted in a domestic or date situation.

On September 7, members of Congress, activists, a sexual assault victim, and the mother of a murdered domestic violence victim held a press briefing to call for the reauthorization of VAWA. Their compelling personal statements effectively made the case for renewing our national commitment to stem the tide of violence and battering by re-funding VAWA.

On September 22, activists from local colleges and universities, survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault, domestic violence organizations, and concerned citizens from across the country gathered on the Capitol steps to urge the reauthoriza-tion of this vital piece of legislation. Four days later, the House passed the Violence Against Women Act with a vote of 415 to 3. At this time, the Senate has not followed the House’s lead.

What Can You Do?

October is National Domestic Abuse Month. This recognition provides an opportunity to recognize victims and seek additional effective measures in the campaign against battering and assault.

For more information contact: Ann Ober in the WAND D.C. office at (202) 543-8505 or will@wand.org.