Lifetime joins Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney to honor Debbie and Robert Smith for their work to stop violence against women.

Debbie Smith
In June 2001, rape survivor Debbie Smith came forward to testify at a Congressional hearing on the importance of using DNA evidence to solve rapes. This Virginia wife and mom has been a rape survivor since March 1989. A few months after Smith spoke out on Capital Hill, she received a call from Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney's office asking for permission to name a bill after her. On September 10, 2001, The Debbie Smith Act was officially introduced. The bill, which is still pending in Congress, would accomplish many things; most importantly, it would clear the backlog of rape kits that are untested and put more rapists behind bars. Smith recently resigned from her job as an office manager to promote the bill full time. She now travels the country to speak out about the need for DNA research in sex crimes, rape victim recovery and similar topics. This courageous woman makes herself available to any group that can benefit from hearing her story and asks for nothing in return but an open ear.

Robert Smith
Lieutenant Robert Smith (“Smitty”) has been on the Williamsburg Virginia Police Department for more than 24 years. He is the supervisor of the investigative bureau, a public information officer and controller of all property and evidence. During Smith's career, he has worked uniform patrol and crime prevention; this officer has also supervised a uniform squad and tactical and narcotic units. He has made himself available as a spokesperson for the department. He has been happily married to Debbie Smith for 31 years, and has supported his wife's efforts as she travels the country to speak about rape and the need for DNA research. In fact, he now serves as co-speaker with his spouse, touching on the effects of the rape from a husband’s point of view and the perspective of a police officer. This loving husband and father of two also currently serves on the board of directors for the Williamsburg Area SANE program, the Virginia Peninsula Alcohol Safety Action program and AVALON, a safe house program for abused women. Smith is looking forward to retirement at the end of 2003.

Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney is an ally to antiviolence movements and women's issues. As the former co-chair of the Women’s Caucus, Maloney is one of the leading advocates for women and family issues, with special emphasis on foster care reform, funding for women’s health needs and reproductive freedom. She was a member of the U.S. Delegations to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and to the International Conference on Population and Development fifth-year review and appraisal at The Hague. Maloney succeeded in increasing funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the fiscal year 2002 Foreign Operations Appropriation to $34 million, a $12.5 million increase from the previous fiscal year. Additionally, she introduced the Saving Women's Lives Act of 2002 to try to spur the Bush administration to release the $34 million budgeted for the United Nations Population Fund. Her bill to offer annual mammograms for women on Medicare was included in the fiscal year 1998 budget agreement. She has also introduced legislation ("Kiddie Mac") that would make day care more available and affordable by guaranteeing loans for day-care-facility construction and improvements. In November 2002, Maloney was recognized for "Carrying the Weight of the World" by United Nations Family Planning and received their Women’s Leadership Award.

In January 2002, she released "The Dingell-Maloney Report: A New Look through the Glass Ceiling," that documents the alarming widening wage gap between men and women managers. As a result of these findings, she is calling for more studies looking into wage disparity. She is a longtime friend of Lifetime and works with the network on many causes. Maloney authored The Debbie Smith Act, after asking Debbie Smith to testify at a Congressional hearing. The bill, which provides funding to relieve the nation's backlog of rape kits, was introduced in September 2001. For information on Congresswoman Maloney, please visit www.house.gov/maloney/.

To sign the petition in support of the Debbie Smith Act, please click here.