[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 501 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 501

   Recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of Sexual Assault 
                            Awareness Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 27, 2010

 Mr. Casey (for himself, Mr. Brownback, and Mr. Franken) submitted the 
        following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of Sexual Assault 
                            Awareness Month.

Whereas on average, a person is sexually assaulted in the United States every 2 
        \1/2\ minutes;
Whereas the Department of Justice reports that 203,830 people in the United 
        States were sexually assaulted in 2008;
Whereas 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men have been victims of rape or attempted 
        rape;
Whereas the Department of Defense received 2,908 reports of sexual assault 
        involving members of the Armed Forces in fiscal year 2008, representing 
        an 8 percent increase from fiscal year 2007;
Whereas children and young adults are most at risk of sexual assault, as 44 
        percent of sexual assault victims are under 18 years of age, and 80 
        percent are under the 30 years of age;
Whereas sexual assault affects women, men, and children of all racial, social, 
        religious, age, ethnic, and economic groups in the United States;
Whereas women, children, and men suffer multiple types of sexual violence, 
        including acquaintance, stranger, spousal, and gang rape, incest, child 
        sexual molestation, forced prostitution, trafficking, forced 
        pornography, ritual abuse, sexual harassment, and stalking;
Whereas it is estimated that the percentage of completed or attempt rape 
        victimization among women in institutions of higher education is between 
        20 and 25 percent over the course of a college career;
Whereas, in addition to the immediate physical and emotional costs, sexual 
        assault has associated consequences that may include post-traumatic 
        stress disorder, substance abuse, major depression, homelessness, eating 
        disorders, and suicide;
Whereas only 41 percent of sexual assault victims pursue prosecution by 
        reporting their attack to law enforcement agencies;
Whereas \2/3\ 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, because of 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 lead to the incarceration of rapists and 
        therefore prevent these individuals from committing further crimes;
Whereas national, State, territory, and tribal coalitions, community-based rape 
        crisis centers, and other organizations across the Nation are committed 
        to increasing public awareness of sexual violence and its prevalence, 
        and to eliminating it through prevention and education;
Whereas important partnerships have been formed among criminal and juvenile 
        justice agencies, health professionals, public health workers, 
        educators, first responders, and victim service providers;
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, according to a 2010 survey of rape crisis centers by the National 
        Alliance to End Sexual Violence, 72 percent of programs have experienced 
        a reduction in funding over the past year, 56 percent have experienced a 
        reduction in staffing, 23 percent have a waiting list for services, and 
        funding and staffing cuts have resulted in an overall 50 percent 
        reduction in the provision of institutional advocacy services;
Whereas individual and collective efforts reflect the dream of the people of the 
        United States for a nation where citizens and organizations actively 
        work to prevent all forms of sexual violence and no sexual assault 
        victim goes unserved or ever feels there is no path to justice; 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 Senate 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 survivors of sexual 
                assault, and the prosecution of perpetrators of sexual 
                assault;
                    (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 
                survivors of sexual assault, and increasing the number 
                of successful prosecutions of perpetrators of sexual 
                assault; 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) the Senate strongly recommends that national and 
        community organizations, businesses in the private sector, 
        colleges and universities, and the media 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 Senate supports the goals and ideals of National 
        Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
                                 <all>