[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 55 (Thursday, April 14, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2542-S2543]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 149--RECOGNIZING AND SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS 
                   OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH

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

                              S. Res. 149

       Whereas on average, a person is sexually assaulted in the 
     United States every 2 \1/2\ minutes;

[[Page S2543]]

       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 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 
     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.

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