With the founding of the Sheila Wellstone Institute, there is an opportunity for elected officials on all sides of the political spectrum to unite efforts and keep family violence and child abuse issues at the forefront of our domestic priorities. I recently had the honor of helping to kick off the Sheila Wellstone Institute which was created by her two sons in their mother's memory. Sheila and her husband United States Senator Paul Wellstone tragically died in a plane crash in October 2002, along with their daughter and key campaign staff.
The Sheila Wellstone Institute represents hope for carrying on Sheila's vision of eliminating family violence in our nation and uniting policy makers at the highest levels of government. The Institute also serves as an important reminder that family violence is at the root of so many of our domestic problems and is a national crisis--1 out of every 4 women in her lifetime will be a victim of family violence, and between 3-10 million children witness violence in the home every year. As a state leader, even in these economically challenging times, I cannot afford to ignore these disturbing facts. Any other social, health or safety hazard of this magnitude, would call for a wide-spread response such as the Homeland Security Plan.
Too few people realize the significance of Sheila Wellstone's contributions and leadership on family violence issues. Along with her husband Paul, Sheila Wellstone help draft and pass the 1994 Violence Against Women Act which for the first time brought new federal dollars to the states to help increase prosecution of these crimes and provide needed help for victims. Before their death, the Wellstones were the champions of the Children Who Witness Domestic Violence Act which if passed would have been the first time that funding was dedicated to help break the cycle of violence for children who witness family violence.
Sheila Wellstone was quite simply a true champion for all victims of family violence. She very effectively articulated the fact that if a child cannot grow up safe in their home, that they will never be safe in the world. From traveling within her home state of Minnesota to working on a national level with key policy makers and researchers on the issue, she had become a nationally respected voice for victims.
I believe we need to develop a national plan for tackling family violence in our homeland and I will be looking to the Institute to help with that effort. In my state, Arizona, we are developing a state plan, which will become a blueprint for how we move forward to eradicate family violence in our state. I believe we must do the same on a national level and that new leadership is needed to make this happen. This includes leadership from elected officials at all levels of government as well as leadership from the business, faith, philanthropic, and other communities. The Sheila Wellstone Institute can help to develop these new leaders and champions and to fill the gap that was left with the passing of Sheila and Paul Wellstone who, in many ways, were just beginning their work.
