THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

              VICE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES U.S. POSTAL SERVICE 
               DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
                                    
               Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) 

will be Printed on the Covers of 200 Million Postage Stamp Booklets

Vice President Al Gore today (4/21) announced that the U.S. Postal Service is releasing 200 million postage stamp booklets with the National Domestic Violence Hotline number (1-800-799-SAFE) printed on the covers.

"Domestic violence thrives on isolation, silence and denial," said Vice President Gore. "Public awareness of the hotline number and services is crucial for the child who doesn
,t know who to talk to about the violence in her home, for the abuser who knows enough is enough, or for the abused whose body and mind have been crushed. I applaud Postmaster General Marvin Runyon and the U.S. Postal Service for this effort to stop the madness of domestic violence."

The booklets with the hotline number will be on sale immediately across the nation. The flag on porch and Statue of Liberty postage stamp booklets will include the public service announcement. The Postal Service campaign is a result of the Administration working in conjunction with a bi-partisan effort on Capitol Hill.

President Clinton launched the National Domestic Violence Hotline -- 1-800-799-SAFE -- in February, 1996. More than 107,000 calls have been made to the 24-hour service, averaging about 8,000 calls each month. Hotline staff and volunteers provide victims of domestic violence and those calling on their behalf with crisis intervention, information about domestic violence and referrals to local service providers. The hotline receives federal and private funding.

For the hearing impaired, the TDD number is 1-800-787-3224. The hotline offers instant help in English and Spanish and translators are available in 139 other languages.

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