OBAMA: Violence against women, at home and abroad, must cease

Abuse scars not only the victim but her loved ones, sending currents of violence that ripple across our society. Right now, a woman who’s fled an abuser is living on the streets, wondering how long it will be before she has to turn to crime or prostitution to feed herself. Down the street, a child has shut the door and buried his head under the pillow so he doesn't have to hear his mother's cries, and there's a good chance he will grow up to be an abuser just like his father.

Government has a critical role to play in stopping this cycle of violence. Over the course of more than a decade in elective office, I have fought to assist the victims of sexual assault. And this is a commitment I will carry with me to the White House. As President, I will pass my plan to provide millions of dollars to strengthen programs aimed at preventing domestic violence and caring for those affected by it. I will also expand government efforts to offer domestic violence counseling in urban areas. And I will ensure that we fully fund the Violence Against Women Act, an important piece of legislation that I commend my colleague Senator Joe Biden for drafting.

We also need to ensure job security for victims of sexual assault, up to half of whom report losing their jobs as a result of being attacked. In Illinois, I led the fight to ensure that victims could seek shelter or treatment without losing their jobs, passing one of the strongest job protection laws in the nation. As President, I will make this a federal law. And I will expand the Family and Medical Leave Act to give additional job security to victims who need to take time off.

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Let's stop treating this as just a woman's issue. Whether it's hundreds of thousands of women being brutalized in the United States and around the world, or just a single friend whose boyfriend took advantage of her one night -- when a woman is attacked on account of her gender, it is a human rights issue. And so long as it continues, the conscience of our nation cannot rest.