[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 60 (Tuesday, April 27, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2712-S2713]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 501, submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 501) recognizing and supporting the 
     goals and ideals of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed 
to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon 
the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements be 
printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 501) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

[[Page S2713]]

                              S. Res. 501

       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.

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