[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 541 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 541

    Supporting the goals and ideals of Sexual Assault Awareness and 
                           Prevention Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 3, 2014

     Mr. Reed (for himself and Ms. Moore) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Supporting the goals and ideals of Sexual Assault Awareness and 
                           Prevention Month.

Whereas on average another person is sexually assaulted in the United States 
        every 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 children and young adults are most at risk of sexual assault, as 44 
        percent of victims of sexual assault 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, ability, sexual orientation, and economic groups 
        in the United States;
Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently expanded its 
        definition of rape to include sexual assault against males, which will 
        assist in making reporting of this devastating crime more accurate and 
        provide a better understanding of its effects on victims;
Whereas in addition to the immediate physical and emotional costs, sexual 
        assault has associated consequences that may include post-traumatic 
        stress disorder, substance abuse, depression, homelessness, eating 
        disorders, and suicide;
Whereas all forms of sexual violence are unacceptable, whether committed by a 
        stranger, family member or acquaintance of the victim;
Whereas less than half of sexual assault victims pursue prosecution by reporting 
        their attack to law enforcement agencies;
Whereas by fully assessing the scope of the backlog of untested evidence in the 
        possession of law enforcement and crime labs and by using DNA technology 
        to eliminate the backlog, there is potential to identify and prosecute 
        rapists in tens of thousands of unsolved cases;
Whereas aggressive prosecution can lead to the incarceration of rapists, who 
        tend to be serial criminals who methodically select their victims and 
        plan their crimes, thereby preventing them from committing further 
        crimes;
Whereas national, State, territory, and tribal coalitions, community-based 
        sexual assault service providers, law enforcement agencies, and other 
        organizations across the United States are committed to increasing 
        public awareness of sexual violence and its prevalence, and to 
        eliminating it through improvements to the criminal justice system and 
        programs to prevent crime and educate the public;
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 victims and survivors of 
        sexual assault through the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800-565-
        HOPE) and National Sexual Assault Online Hotline (online.rainn.org), and 
        more than 1,000 sexual assault service providers across the United 
        States;
Whereas the Department of Defense (DOD) estimates that more than 19,000 members 
        of the Armed Forces are sexually assaulted each year;
Whereas the DOD Safe Helpline, operated by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National 
        Network (RAINN) on behalf of DOD, provides live help to Active duty 
        servicemembers 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 the Safe Helpline mobile app allows survivors of sexual assault in the 
        military to create a customized self-care plan and connect to resources 
        from anywhere in the world;
Whereas the DOD Safe HelpRoom, a moderated online peer support service allows 
        survivors of sexual assault in the military to connect with one another 
        in a secure online environment;
Whereas according to a 2013 survey of rape crisis centers by the National 
        Alliance to End Sexual Violence, almost 75 percent of rape crisis 
        centers lost funding in the past year, over 50 percent of programs have 
        laid-off staff in the past year, and over 33 percent of programs have a 
        waiting list for counseling services, with some waiting times exceeding 
        2 months;
Whereas individual and collective efforts reflect the dream for a Nation where 
        citizens and organizations actively work to prevent all forms of sexual 
        violence and no sexual assault victim goes unserved and no sexual 
        assault perpetrator goes unpunished; 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 victims, and the 
                prosecution of its perpetrators;
                    (B) it is appropriate to properly acknowledge the 
                more than 20 million 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) 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.
                                 <all>