[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 104 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.Con.Res.104
                                                Agreed to April 30, 2009

                      One Hundred Eleventh Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
             the sixth day of January, two thousand and nine


                          Concurrent Resolution

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 the Department of Defense received 2,688 reports of sexual 
  assault involving members of the Armed Forces in fiscal year 2007;

Whereas children and young adults are most at risk of sexual assault, 
  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; and

Whereas April is recognized as ``National Sexual Assault Awareness and 
  Prevention Month'': Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That--
        (1) it is the sense of Congress 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; and
            (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) Congress 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) Congress supports the goals and ideals of National Sexual 
    Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
Attest:

                                 Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Attest:

                                               Secretary of the Senate.