[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 149 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 149

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 14, 2011

Mr. Casey submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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 more than 200,000 people in the 
        United States are sexually assaulted each year;
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 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 attempted 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 those individuals from committing further crimes;
Whereas national, State, territory, and tribal coalitions, community-based rape 
        crisis centers, and other organizations across the United States are 
        committed to increasing public awareness of sexual violence and its 
        prevalence, and to eliminating sexual violence 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 in 2011, the Department of Defense and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National 
        Network (RAINN) launched the DoD Safe Helpline, which provides live, 
        one-on-one help to members of the United States Armed Forces who have 
        been sexually assaulted;
Whereas the DoD Safe Helpline provides live help to active duty personnel and 
        other members of the DoD community worldwide by phone (877-995-5247) and 
        online at SafeHelpline.org, as well as installation-based referrals via 
        texting;
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 2009 levels, 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 individuals and organizations actively 
        work to prevent all forms of sexual violence and no sexual assault 
        victim goes unserved or ever feels that 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, 
        institutions of higher education, 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>