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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- At a conference involving Attorney General Janet Reno, Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala and Senator Ted Kennedy, Federal Communications Commission Chairman William Kennard today announced that 350 newspapers, reaching more than 40 million Americans, are now publishing the ratings of television programs in their TV listings. In addition, TV Guide is carrying ratings to its 35 million readers and to 53.5 million cable homes through its cable preview channel.

"The V-Chip is a high-tech parenting tool for a high-tech age. By using the V-Chip and TV ratings published by newspapers, parents will now be able to control their children's exposure to violent programming." said Chairman Kennard.

The announcement was made at a three-day national summit on children exposed to violence, entitled Safe From the Start. In addition to Kennard's announcement, Administration officials cited other steps the Clinton Administration is taking to address the pervasive issue of child abuse, child victimization, and domestic violence in America, including:

• Attorney General Reno announced that the Justice Department will award $1.3 million to the Yale Child Study Center to serve as a national center for information on children exposed to violence. The center will provide technical assistance and training to Safe Start grantees and focus on the link between early victimization and later criminality. The Safe Start program builds on the New Haven Child Development Community Policing project, which pairs police officers with mental health professionals. The mental health experts accompany police officers to crime scenes to provide immediate assistance to traumatized children. The $1.3 million is part of a $10 million "Safe Start" program that will help up to 12 additional cities promote and build upon proven initiatives.
• Secretary Shalala announced that the Departments of Health & Human Services and Justice are releasing a new publication, "Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policy and Practice," designed to offer communities strategies on intervening when child abuse and domestic violence occurs within the same family. The Departments have also formed a public-private collaboration to help selected communities implement the recommended guidelines to achieve safety for both children and mothers.
• Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department is releasing three new publications designed to assist child crime victims and witnesses: Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Recommendations to Improve the Criminal Justice Response to Child Victims and Witnesses which examines innovative strategies designed to improve the manner in which law enforcement handles child victims and witnesses to insure that police, prosecutors and the courts do not re-victimize children; Children Exposed to Violence: Recommendations for State Justice Systems, which is a monograph of model state legislation designed to sensitize the criminal justice system to the special needs of children, who have been victims of crime; and, Resources for Practitioners who work with Children Exposed to Violence, which is a guide to technical assistance and training resources.

"Children who are victims of, or witnesses to, violence suffer devastating consequences," said Attorney General Janet Reno. "They are at higher risk of developing behavioral problems, chronic delinquency, substance abuse, traumatic stress syndrome, depression, suicidal tendencies and violent criminal behavior. Being abused or neglected as a child increases the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 53% and the likelihood of arrest for a violent crime as an adult by 38%. We must act swiftly to break the cycle of violence."

The summit was co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services. During the past three days, the conference brought together experts in law enforcement, child development, medicine, domestic violence, mental health, tribal justice, education, and the media.

"Just under one million children are the victims of abuse and neglect and nearly six million women are estimated to be physically assaulted and/or raped annually in our country- we must do everything in our means to prevent this unforgivable and inexcusable violence." said Secretary Shalala. "We have the know how, but we need the will of every responsible adult to intervene early when there's a risk of violence, to reduce the glamour of violence and heal the victims."

Over the past three days, 150 experts worked on developing a national action plan to help communities address the vital needs of child crime victims/witnesses. The how-to guide, a framework for which was unveiled today, will provide guidance on how communities can mobilize individuals to address this difficult issue.

The panel discussion, moderated by Deputy Attorney General Holder, focused on the best prevention and intervention strategies, as well as measures for holding perpetrators of violence against children accountable. "I sat in too many trials where the perpetrators of violence against children were not, due to defects in the law, adequately punished," said Holder. "For the rest of my life, I will be haunted by images of beautiful, sweet children who suffered at the hands of violent adults -- usually their parents and caretakers -- or witnessed the violent assaults and death of loved ones."

The summit was developed with input from a range of individuals and organizations including the American Bar Association; The Children's Hospital of San Diego; The Children's Mental Health Alliance Foundation; CIVITAS; The Child Welfare League of America; Congressman Bud Cramer and the National Children's Alliance; The Families and Work Institute; I am Your Child/Rob Reiner Foundation; The Menninger Clinic; The Nathan Cummings Foundation; The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges; and the Yale Child Study Center.

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