[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 499 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 499

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 26, 2018

 Mr. Grassley (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


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

Whereas the Senate is committed to the awareness, prevention, and deterrence of 
        sexual violence affecting individuals in the United States;
Whereas, according to the Department of Justice, an estimated 323,450 
        individuals ages 12 and older in the United States experienced sexual 
        violence during 2016;
Whereas, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey, between 1995 and 
        2010, approximately--

    (1) 3,900,000 women were victims of completed rape;

    (2) 1,100,00 women were victims of attempted rape; and

    (3) 584,800 men were victims of sexual assault;

Whereas, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (commonly known 
        as ``RAINN''), an individual is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds in 
        the United States, but for every 1,000 rapes committed in the United 
        States, on average only--

    (1) 310 rapes are reported to law enforcement agencies;

    (2) 57 reported rape cases lead to an arrest;

    (3) 11 rape cases are referred for prosecution;

    (4) 7 rape cases lead to a felony conviction; and

    (5) 6 convicted rapists are sentenced to some form of incarceration;

Whereas, according to the Criminal Victimization Summary for 2016 of the Bureau 
        of Justice Statistics, only 22.9 percent of rapes or sexual assaults in 
        the United States were reported to law enforcement agencies;
Whereas studies have suggested that American Indians and Alaska Natives are at a 
        significantly higher rate of violent victimization than other 
        individuals in the United States;
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 
        \1/2\ of all female rape victims reported being raped by an intimate 
        partner;
Whereas sexual violence is a burden for many individuals who serve in the United 
        States Armed Forces, and the Department of Defense estimates that 
        approximately 14,900 service members experienced some form of sexual 
        assault during 2016;
Whereas sexual assault does not discriminate on any basis and can affect any 
        individual in the United States;
Whereas sexual violence may take many forms, including acquaintance, stranger, 
        spousal, and gang rape, incest, child sexual abuse, elder sexual abuse, 
        sexual abuse and exploitation of disabled persons, commercial sex 
        trafficking, sexual harassment, and stalking;
Whereas, according to the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, in addition 
        to the immediate physical and emotional costs, sexual assault can have 
        numerous adverse consequences for the victim, which may include post-
        traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, major depression, 
        homelessness, eating disorders, and suicide;
Whereas many sexual assaults are not reported to law enforcement agencies, which 
        enables many perpetrators to evade punishment for their crimes;
Whereas sexual assault survivors suffer emotional complications long after their 
        physical scars have healed;
Whereas advances in deoxyribonucleic acid (commonly known as ``DNA'') technology 
        have enabled law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute the 
        perpetrators in tens of thousands of previously unsolved sexual assault 
        cases;
Whereas incarceration of sexual assault perpetrators can prevent perpetrators 
        from committing additional crimes;
Whereas national, State, territorial, and tribal coalitions, community-based 
        rape crisis centers, and other organizations across the United States 
        are committed to--

    (1) increasing public awareness of sexual violence and the prevalence 
of sexual violence; and

    (2) 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 thousands of volunteers and staff at rape crisis centers, State 
        coalitions against sexual assault, and nonprofit organizations across 
        the United States play an important role in making crisis hotlines and 
        other services available to survivors of sexual assault;
Whereas free, confidential help is available to all victims and survivors of 
        sexual assault through--

    (1) the National Sexual Assault Hotline--

    G    (A) by telephone at 800-656-HOPE; and

    G    (B) online at https://hotline.rainn.org; and

    (2) more than 1,000 sexual assault service providers across the United 
States;

Whereas the National Sexual Assault Hotline--

    (1) in 2017, helped nearly 210,000 survivors of sexual assault, which 
represented the greatest number of survivors assisted through the hotline 
since the founding of the hotline in 1994; and

    (2) continues to receive record requests for support in 2018;

Whereas the Department of Defense provides the Safe Helpline, Safe HelpRoom, and 
        Safe Helpline mobile application, each of which offer support and help 
        to members of the Department of Defense community--

    (1) by telephone at 877-995-5247; and

    (2) online at https://safehelpline.org;

Whereas individual and collective efforts reflect the dream of the people of the 
        United States--

    (1) for individuals and organizations to actively work to prevent all 
forms of sexual violence; and

    (2) for no victim of sexual assault to be unserved or feel that there 
is no path to justice; and

Whereas April 2018 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--
                            (i) educate the people of the United States 
                        about sexual violence; and
                            (ii) encourage--
                                    (I) the prevention of sexual 
                                assault;
                                    (II) improvement in the treatment 
                                of survivors of sexual assault; and
                                    (III) the prosecution of 
                                perpetrators of sexual assault;
                    (B) it is appropriate to properly acknowledge 
                survivors of sexual assault and to commend the 
                volunteers and professionals who assist those survivors 
                in their efforts to heal;
                    (C) national and community organizations and 
                private sector supporters should be recognized and 
                applauded for their work in--
                            (i) promoting awareness about sexual 
                        assault;
                            (ii) providing information and treatment to 
                        survivors of sexual assault; and
                            (iii) 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 ensure 
                perpetrators of sexual assault are held accountable; 
                and
            (2) the Senate supports the goals and ideals of National 
        Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
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