The conference was the Sixth International Institute on Victimology and included 40 participants from the United States, Canada, Nigeria, Iran, Israel, and several European countries. The task group decided to refer to women victims as "survivors" to emphasize their coping strengths and help-seeking efforts. It examined assumptions regarding gender differences in interpersonal, social, economic, and political power with emphasis on the role of patriarchal power in the disproportionate victimization of women through sexual and domestic assault. The group's declaration stated that the victim's safety and protection are paramount, that the legal system should implement policies that emphasize the arrest of perpetrators, and that social service agencies establish programs to serve victims. The committee also focused on the need for social change and new public policies and concluded that the women's movement can help sustain and inspire individual interventions and promote community and societal changes to reinforce them.