[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 289 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                        April 24, 2007.
Whereas, on average, a person is sexually assaulted in the United States every 
        two-and-a-half minutes;
Whereas the Department of Justice reports that 191,670 people in the United 
        States were sexually assaulted in 2005;
Whereas 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men have been victims of rape or attempted 
        rape;
Whereas children and young adults are most at risk, as 44 percent of sexual 
        assault victims are under the age of 18, and 80 percent are under the 
        age of 30;
Whereas sexual assault affects women, men, and children of all racial, social, 
        religious, age, ethnic, and economic groups in the United States;
Whereas only 41 percent of sexual assault victims pursue prosecution by 
        reporting their attack to law enforcement agencies;
Whereas two-thirds of sexual crimes are committed by persons who are not 
        strangers to the victims;
Whereas sexual assault survivors suffer emotional scars long after the physical 
        scars have healed;
Whereas prevention education programs carried out by rape crisis and women's 
        health centers have the potential to reduce the prevalence of sexual 
        assault in their communities;
Whereas because of recent advances in DNA technology, law enforcement agencies 
        have the potential to identify the rapists in tens of thousands of 
        unsolved rape cases;
Whereas aggressive prosecution can incarcerate rapists and therefore prevent 
        them from committing further crimes;
Whereas free, confidential help is available to all survivors of sexual assault 
        through the National Sexual Assault Hotline, more than 1,000 rape crisis 
        centers across the United States, and other organizations that provide 
        services to assist survivors of sexual assault;
Whereas the rate of sexual assaults has decreased by half in the last decade; 
        and
Whereas April is recognized as ``National Sexual Assault Awareness and 
        Prevention Month'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That--
            (1) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
                    (A) National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month 
                provides a special opportunity to educate the people of the 
                United States about sexual violence and to encourage the 
                prevention of sexual assault, the improved treatment of its 
                survivors, and the prosecution of its perpetrators;
                    (B) it is appropriate to properly acknowledge the more than 
                20,000,000 men and women who have survived sexual assault in the 
                United States and salute the efforts of survivors, volunteers, 
                and professionals who combat sexual assault;
                    (C) national and community organizations and private sector 
                supporters should be recognized and applauded for their work in 
                promoting awareness about sexual assault, providing information 
                and treatment to its survivors, and increasing the number of 
                successful prosecutions of its perpetrators;
                    (D) public safety, law enforcement, and health professionals 
                should be recognized and applauded for their hard work and 
                innovative strategies to increase the percentage of sexual 
                assault cases that result in the prosecution and incarceration 
                of the offenders;
            (2) the House of Representatives strongly recommends national and 
        community organizations, businesses in the private sector, colleges and 
        universities, and the media to promote, through National Sexual Assault 
        Awareness and Prevention Month, awareness of sexual violence and 
        strategies to decrease the incidence of sexual assault; and
            (3) the House of Representatives supports the goals and ideals of 
        National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.