Anglican Observer Commends Clinton on Domestic Violence Act
Episcopal News Service. April 19, 1996 [96-1446Q]
(ENS) Bishop James Ottley, Anglican Observer at the United Nations, wrote to President Bill Clinton recently, commending his enactment of the Violence Against Women Act, part of Clinton's Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. The new regulations issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service providing alien self-petitioning rights to domestic abuse victims who are unable to leave the United States for financial, social, cultural, or other reasons, "is a true demonstration of the high regard for human life and dignity and its adherence to international human rights law." The rule will allow abused spouses and children of citizens or legal permanent residents to self-petition to become legal permanent residents in the United States. The rule responds to situations where an abusive spouse threatens to have an immigrant woman deported and refuses to file the immigrant relative petitions that allow application for permanent residence. In his letter, Ottley said that the new rule demonstrated "that the United States is truly complying with the commitments made at the Fourth World Conference on Women to develop a holistic and multidisciplinary approach towards creating violence-free families, communities and states."