[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 54 (Thursday, April 3, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H2887-H2893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 3, 2013, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Reed) is recognized
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
General Leave
Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues that have joined me
this evening to talk about an issue that is very personal to me and I
think something that we need to discuss across America in an open and
honest fashion.
Madam Speaker, this month, April, is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
I am joined with many of my colleagues here today to discuss the issue
of sexual assault, domestic violence and, in particular, a national
effort that we have become familiar with in our office and in my
household called the NO MORE campaign. NO MORE is a group that is
represented by numerous entities across the country that are coming
together to say ``no more'' to sexual assault and domestic violence.
Madam Speaker, you may recall I came to this floor of this Chamber
back on March 14 and I discussed the issue of NO MORE Week at that
point in time. I shared my family's personal story that moved us in our
household--my wife, my brother, my sister, my 11 older brothers and
sisters--to say ``no more.''
Madam Speaker, over the last year and a half, we dealt with a
situation where my niece was raped. I will tell you, going through that
experience, it is time to say ``no more.''
I just am humbled to see the outpouring of support that my colleagues
are showing me this evening and coming together to say we need to talk
about sexual assault, we need to talk about domestic violence across
the country. We can't be shameful, we can't hide any longer. We need to
stand with the victims and say this isn't something that is just going
to be brushed aside and there are going to be excuses of, well, she
wanted it or they deserved it or they were drinking, and therefore it
is okay. ``No more,'' Madam Speaker, no more to sexual assault and
domestic violence.
Earlier today, my colleague across the aisle, Gwen Moore, and I
introduced a resolution supporting the goals and ideas of April as
Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. I am glad to see that we
are coming together in this Chamber on a bipartisan basis to identify
this issue, speak about this issue, and coming together to solve this
critical problem for Americans across the Nation.
Also, I just wanted to say, from this personal experience as a
husband, as a father of a beautiful girl who is 15, the uncle of my
beautiful niece who went through this horrific situation, that we just
can't express enough how horrific and tragic sexual assault is when it
comes to families, young men and women, just men and women across the
country, and I stand here today to say ``no more.''
With that, I yield to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs.
Capito), my good colleague, to speak on this important issue.
Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for
bringing highlight to an issue that we all feel a certain sadness that
has to be highlighted. I am sorry for his personal tragedy for his
niece, and I wish her much healing and a bright future for her.
I rise today to, too, speak, as he did, about April as Sexual Assault
Awareness Month.
As we know, sexual assault can happen to anyone, regardless of
gender, age, race, or religion, and it is always heartbreaking. Those
are the ones that we actually hear about. Many go unreported. So we
must say ``no more,'' no more to sexual assault and the culture of
silence and shame.
One in six women in this country have been sexually assaulted, most
by someone they know. Hence, the area of deeply troubling behaviors in
the realm of domestic violence.
College women have an even higher rate of sexual victimization than
most women in the United States. Our colleges and universities can and
must play an important role in stopping sexual assault and joining this
campaign in April by saying ``no more'' to sexual
[[Page H2888]]
assault. This must be a priority in every college campus in America.
As a mother of a daughter and now a grandmother of a daughter and
also two sons who were lucky enough to go to college, I want to make
sure that when they are on those college campuses they are safe and
that they know how to get help and that they know how to recognize the
signals that they might be getting into trouble.
Many of those affected with sexual assault struggle with depression,
drug and alcohol abuse, or even thoughts of suicide. We have to make
sure that they know they are not to blame and that help is available.
So many people care. Local organizations, like the local Charleston
YWCA, which runs the Resolve Family Abuse Program, with which I was an
active board member for many years, they stand ready to help. They have
counseling programs, they have residential programs, they have programs
for batterers, programs to try to alleviate the scourge of domestic
violence.
We in Congress have passed laws to provide Federal funding for
programs and organizations to help women seeking help from domestic
abuse, stalking, and sexual assault.
I will continue to work to help the men and women affected by these
heinous crimes and am proud to stand here today and say ``no more'' to
sexual assault.
Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlelady from West Virginia
for her words and offer of support.
At this time, Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California
(Mr. Costa), a good friend from the other side of the aisle, the
cochair of the Victims' Rights Caucus.
Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, as a cochairman of the Crime Victims
Caucus, along with our good friend and colleague Congressman Ted Poe,
our caucus wants to join in this effort to say ``no more.'' The Crime
Victims Caucus is active in a host of different areas, and this is one
that deserves our attention.
As we mark the National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we must
remember that every day millions are struggling with the aftermath of
sexual assault. We remember the survivors, and we honor the advocates
who support them.
Awareness and action can help end the cycle of sexual assault and
domestic violence. One in five women in this country, sadly, are raped
over the course of their lifetime, and half of all women will
experience some type of sexual assault. These are horrific, horrific
numbers. These are our sisters, our mothers, and our wives.
We must act. Millions of victims are not receiving the assistance
they need, and Congress must act. A national survey in 2013 showed that
75 percent of the rape crisis centers have lost funding, resulting in
layoffs and reduced services and program closures when, in fact, we
need 24/7 service for this very, very important matter. Those numbers
mean communities with shuttered emergency shelters that could have
helped women and men find safe haven are no longer available. We must
do better.
That is why, I along with many of my colleagues here today, are
fighting to raise the cap on the Crime Victims Fund that is one of the
top priorities of the Victims' Rights Caucus. More than 80 Members of
Congress signed our bipartisan legislation. Congressman Ted Poe and I
carried a letter to the Appropriations Committee urging them to raise
the cap to $1.5 billion from its current level of $745 million. This
fund is oversubscribed.
The fact of the matter is this fund does not contain one ounce of
taxpayer dollars. It is, in fact, ill-gotten gains by criminals of all
kinds in which those ill-gotten gains are confiscated and placed in
this restitution fund that President Reagan signed into law in 1981
with then a Democratic-controlled Congress. So we must raise these
funds.
The Crime Victims Fund provides money for our domestic violence
shelters that provide shelter for families and women and children who
are victims of domestic violence. It funds rape crisis centers and
child abuse treatment centers and programs.
We must fund the rape prevention and education fund that provides
moneys to our States in order to support this very important issue of
rape prevention and education programs conducted by these rape crisis
centers, sexual assault coalitions, and other nonprofit organizations
that are attempting to educate to help to assist and to be there when
these victims are violated by this most horrific crime.
Awareness, education, and empowerment, we all have a role to play in
combating the sexual assault. That is why we are honoring those this
month. Until we eliminate sexual assault and domestic violence and
rape, we must continue to educate people on where to seek help when
tragedy strikes. Survivors must know that they are not alone, and it is
not their fault, and that there is help and that we care so that they
can come out of the shadows and live a productive life.
In closing, it is our job and solemn promise here in Congress to
guarantee that there is help for every victim in our country. ``No
more'' to sexual assault.
Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for
his kind words. What I will say is, it is awareness, education, and
empowerment.
With that, I yield to the gentleman from Texas, Judge Poe, a good
friend and cochair of the Victims' Rights Caucus.
{time} 1545
Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding
time, and I thank him for having this Special Order regarding the
dastardly crime of sexual assault.
I also want to thank my friend Mr. Costa from California for his
work. We serve as cochairs on the Victims' Rights Caucus, and it is a
caucus that does exactly what it says. We promote and advocate on
behalf of crime victims throughout in the country here legislatively.
Mr. Costa, as some of you may know his history from California and he
was the author of the Three Strikes, You're Out law that many States
now have adopted. It is good law, and I want to commend him for his
work on the caucus and also his comments.
Madam Speaker, I spent all my career before I came to Congress at the
criminal courts building in Houston, first as a prosecutor and then
about 22 years as a criminal court judge. I heard about 25,000 cases as
a judge. I heard a lot as a prosecutor. All of those cases dealt with
people, not just the defendant, but the victims of crime as well.
I would like to talk about just one person. It happened a long time
ago in a case I prosecuted. I am going to change the names to protect
the privacy of the family of the victim. This young student went to one
of our schools in Houston, Texas. She is working in the daytime, went
to night school to get a second degree. She is driving home on one of
our freeways at night. She had car trouble. She pulled over to a
service station, looking for some help because all the lights had come
on.
She gets out of the car and she talked to a person that she thought
was a service station attendant. Billy Smith wasn't a service station
attendant. He was just hanging around. He pulls out a gun. He kidnaps
Lucy and takes her to a remote place of our county. He did a lot of bad
things to her, including beating her up and abandoning her, left her
for dead. In fact, when he was later arrested by the Houston Police
Department, he was mad that he hadn't killed her.
A remarkable lady. She recovered those physical wounds. Her medical
needs were met. The bad guy was caught. I prosecuted him in front of a
jury of 12 right-thinking Americans in Houston, and he was convicted of
sexual assault of Lucy and received the maximum sentence of 99 years in
a Texas penitentiary.
We would hope, as a society, that all would be well, life would go
on, and good things would happen. That is not reality. That is not the
world we live in now or then. Because when you deal with a victim of a
sexual assault, they are a special person. Everything about their
identity, in many cases, has been destroyed. In fact, defendants, I
think, try to destroy the soul of sexual assault victims.
Lucy testified at that trial, but her life fell apart. She dropped
out of school. In fact, she never went on that campus again. She lost
her job, her husband. The kind of guy he was, he divorced her and left
her. She started using drugs, and she used drugs for a while.
[[Page H2889]]
Not too long after the trial was over with, I received a phone call
from her mother telling me that Lucy had taken her life. And she left a
note, and in that note she said: I am tired of running from Billy Smith
in my nightmares. You see, she got the death penalty because she was a
victim of crime, a real person. We would hope for the best. That is not
reality.
So we, as a society, have to understand the plight of victims. When
the crime is committed against them, it is not like a theft case. It is
a personal crime. And some don't make it; they don't recover. And
society needs to be there to help them, as Mr. Costa says, to let them
know they are not alone anymore, that we are on their side and we are
going to do what we can to see that justice occurs in their case,
because, Madam Speaker, justice is what we do in this country.
And that's just the way it is.
Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the words. I am so
pleased that this is a bipartisan Special Order, where Members from the
other side of the aisle are joining us tonight to talk about the issue
of sexual assault, domestic violence, and us saying ``no more.''
With that, I yield to my good friend from Virginia (Mr. Scott).
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I thank the gentleman from New York for
organizing this Special Order.
Madam Speaker, today I join my colleagues in recognizing the
importance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sexual assault is far too
prevalent in modern society. It is estimated one in five girls and one
in twenty boys will be a victim of child sexual assault. Nearly a
quarter of all women attending college will also become victims during
their academic career.
This issue has been a key issue for the Subcommittee on Crime,
Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, which I have the
privilege to serve as ranking member. The subcommittee is not only
focused on investigating and prosecuting offenders, it also looks to
provide law enforcement with the necessary funding and resources and
training to immediately help survivors beginning the healing process.
Just yesterday, the full Judiciary Committee reported a bill that
will reauthorize the Debbie Smith Act. This will provide funding to
reduce the DNA analysis backlog in our Nation's laboratories and speed
up justice to victims of sexual assault.
Debbie Smith is a constituent of mine, and the horror she endured
while waiting 6\1/2\ years for the DNA to be tested is beyond
unacceptable. What is even more unacceptable is that during the time of
delay, her attacker abducted and robbed two other women. If the DNA
sample had been tested in a timely manner, it is almost certain that
those two women would not have been victims of crime. The Debbie Smith
Act helps ensure that we can bring perpetrators to justice more quickly
and helps survivors on the road to recovery.
Madam Speaker, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we need to
focus on actions that we can take to reduce the incidence of sexual
assault. For example, we have a profound responsibility to the children
within our foster care system, and unfortunately we have found that
those in foster care have experienced sexual assault at a much greater
rate than average. Ensuring safety is a responsibility that we have.
Studies show that nearly 70 percent of children who fall victim to
child sexual trade are runaways from the foster care system. By the
time they run away, they have already been molested or assaulted by
either a family member or somebody in the foster care system.
When we find children that are victims of sex trafficking, we must
ensure that these children are treated as victims, not as criminals. A
child cannot consent to sex. Sex with a child is rape and needs to be
prosecuted as such. I urge my colleagues and my counterparts in the
States to implement safe harbor laws so that victims of child sex
trafficking are not victimized again when they encounter the law
enforcement officials.
When rescued, efforts to support these children must be improved.
These survivors require multidisciplinary care and resources that
recognize the distinct and severe physical and psychological harms
inflicted on them.
The potential for victimization does not end at childhood. The rates
of campus sexual assault far exceed the rates during any time of a
young person's life. Most of the victims know their attackers. Colleges
need to ensure the safety of those entrusted in their care. A recently
established campus safety center can go a long way in setting up the
protocols to both reduce sexual assault for those on campuses and to
properly respond when the assaults occur.
Last year we reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act to ensure
stronger protections for female victims of crime. Since its passage in
2000, the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act has
significantly increased prosecutions of adult and child sex
traffickers.
We just recently, in the last few months, the new regulations under
the Prison Rape Elimination Act has also gone a long way in reducing
sexual assault in our prisons.
As I said before, prosecution of offenders is a critical part of the
equation, but it is not the only part. We need to ensure that we
prevent such assaults from occurring in the first place and ensure that
survivors are provided with the resources they need and support that
they need. Strategies will evolve over time, but during Sexual Assault
Awareness Month, we need to encourage actions to eliminate sexual
assault.
Again, I thank the gentleman from New York for his support for this
awareness month and for organizing this Special Order.
Mr. REED. I thank the gentleman from Virginia for joining us.
At this point in time, I would like to yield to a good friend of mine
from the great State of North Carolina (Mrs. Ellmers).
Mrs. ELLMERS. Madam Speaker, thank you to the gentleman. And I would
like to say thank you for helping out with this Special Order, being
here, holding this Special Order along with Mr. Costa as part of the
caucus in this bipartisan effort.
As you know and as we need to talk about with the American people,
this is an issue that defies logic and it defies socioeconomic
background. There are no barriers to sexual assault, human trafficking,
violence, domestic violence.
I will say, I recently met a young lady who was the victim of human
trafficking, not with sexual assault, but with labor, essentially. She
was brought here to this country at the age of 3, and she was beaten
every day by the woman that put herself forward as her mother, along
with the two other young ladies that were brought here that she knew as
her sisters. And until, I would say, 2007, she said every day that is
what they endured, beatings by this woman that they referred to as Mom.
The reason that the woman said that they can't speak out and seek
help was because they were brought here illegally and they were
illegal. So, you see, this problem is pervasive and it is one we have
to deal with, and we are doing exactly what needs to be done.
To my good friend from New York, thank you again for holding this,
because we have to show the American people this is an issue we care
about, this is an issue that we need to solve, and we need to work
together for that effort. April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month is
a perfect time for us to take part in this effort.
I was very distressed to find out recently that the county that I
live in in North Carolina, Harnett County, as of 2013, is the fifth
highest county level of domestic-related homicide. That is not a number
that I want to associate myself with in the very county in which I
live.
This month serves as an opportunity for all of us to unite on this
issue, both Democrat, Republican, every American, to speak candidly
about the prevalence of abuse and generate a much-needed change in our
culture. Whether we are talking about our society, whether we are
talking about those that are in the military, whether we are talking
about those who come to this country for different purposes, we need to
be a voice for all of those individuals.
Sexual assault is a persistent problem. It affects both women and men
and, again, as I pointed out, regardless
[[Page H2890]]
of socioeconomic status. To bring an end to this problem, we must equip
young people with the knowledge and the resources needed to feel
empowered, ask questions, and seek support. Sexual Assault Awareness
Month is about education and informing one another so that we can bring
about an end.
It is time to speak up and raise awareness, and I hope all that are
listening will help in this effort to support this effort.
Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from North Carolina for
coming today. I am pleased to yield to a good friend from the other
side of the aisle to talk about this important issue of Sexual Assault
Awareness Month and the NO MORE campaign. I can't encourage people
enough across America to go online, become aware of the NO MORE
campaign, and the Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
With that, I yield to my good friend from Florida (Ms. Frankel).
Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Speaker, I am very honored to be here
in a bipartisan manner to talk about a subject that we can all agree
on, which is that freedom from sexual assault is a basic human right.
It is not to be tolerated in any corner of society. And the issue is
not talked about enough, so I am glad we are bringing it up today.
I want to focus today on sexual assault that is taking place at an
alarming rate in a place that we would not expect, and that is it in
our military.
{time} 1600
The reports of sexual assault in the military are mind-boggling. The
Defense Department estimated that there were 26,000 sexual assaults in
2012. Those numbers are shocking, but this isn't just about statistics.
It is about real people.
I want to share a story about one of my constituents. Elisha Morrow
joined the Coast Guard at age 22. She started boot camp with so much
pride and hope. She joined the Coast Guard because she believed deeply
in their mission to save lives, which they do every day.
Her hope turned to humiliation and sorrow as her company commander
sexually harassed her with innuendos and advancements night after
night. The commander became even more emboldened and eventually raped
the female recruit.
Shockingly, the commander was convicted of lesser charges of cruelty
and maltreatment and adultery and not rape because the victim could not
prove that her life wasn't under physical threat and that she didn't
fear for her life. She had committed to his sexual advances under
command.
The law did not take into account situations in which a superior
abuses his or her position to take advantage of victims. That is not
full justice. That is why the victim felt even more humiliated.
As a mother of a marine war veteran, when I heard this story, I knew
I had to do something about it, and I want to thank my colleagues
because we joined together when we passed the National Defense
Authorization Act to direct the military to examine the need for a new
definition of rape and sexual assault in cases when someone abuses
their position in command.
No military recruit or servicemember should endure sexual abuse. Our
sons and daughters put on the uniform to protect us, and now, we must
protect them.
So we have made some good progress, Madam Speaker, which I am proud
of, but there is so much more to do. We have to be vigilant.
There still remains a debate, even within our Congress, whether to
remove these type of cases from the chain of command. We have to be
vigilant and make sure our laws are working and make sure our sons and
daughters are protected and get the full support they need to heal when
they are assaulted.
In this country, every citizen has the right to be safe and
protected. There should be no exceptions.
Mr. Reed, I want to thank you again for allowing me to share this
moment with you.
Mr. REED. I thank the gentlelady for coming tonight and joining us
and raising awareness on this critical issue facing men and women
across the country. I appreciate the gentlelady's words.
From the gentlelady's words, I am reminded how pervasive this is
across our country. It does remind me also why we have to remain
diligent and continue to raise awareness and educate people on these
issues and to empower victims and stand with victims such as my niece.
With that, I yield to my good friend from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meehan).
Mr. MEEHAN. Allow me to express my appreciation to the gentleman from
New York (Mr. Reed) for your leadership in putting together this very
important opportunity for us to talk to not just our colleagues, but
citizens all across this country, as we jointly focus on this issue of
sexual assault and domestic violence.
I am moved by my colleagues who are telling stories from so many
different perspectives. Many of them are personal. I think that is
really the way we have to explain these kinds of circumstances, through
the personal stories in which it is driven home, because you can
understand how it affects real people on an everyday basis.
I was a former prosecutor before I came here to Washington, D.C., and
while this story is about 20 years old, it defines a particular problem
at a particular point in time.
I remember distinctly engaging with a young woman. She had been the
victim of a sexual assault. She met a young man at a party. She
returned to a dorm room, believing that everything was going to be
safe. He sexually and violently violated her.
This was a very prestigious school in New England. She reported it
later that week to the school authorities, but they took a position
that, since she really hadn't reported it immediately and she didn't
have any other kind of particular evidence, it was her word against his
word, and they took no further action.
This young woman was completely abandoned on this campus, but worse
yet, her perpetrator used that opportunity thereafter to jeer at her
and to taunt her, and not only was she the one who was violated, but
she was the one who was finally driven to a point where she was so
uncomfortable, having to confront this guy each and every day, she is
the one who had to leave her college. She had to go home and start to
heal and try to start a life all over again and a whole new experience.
I ran into her because, 2 years later, she came to my district in
Pennsylvania. She came there as a witness because, only weeks before
she had arrived, there was another party on a college campus nearby me
and this same perpetrator happened to come to that college, visiting a
friend, where he met a woman. He went back to that woman's dorm, and
another woman was violently raped.
Fortunately, this victim, for the first time, was able to testify
against him. We used pattern evidence to give her her first chance to
hold him accountable. Based on that rape that we were able to
prosecute, I think he may still be in jail.
But her life didn't get put together immediately by virtue of that.
In fact, she represents a story that is too infrequently understood, as
has been demonstrated by some of my colleagues.
One in five women on college campuses today will report being victims
of an attempted or actual sexual assault, yet only about 5 percent of
those are being reported to law enforcement, so we have got this huge
disconnect.
While it is 20 years after the incident that I experienced and a
great deal more work has been done on college campuses, many of which
have taken prudent steps to deal with this issue, we have to do a lot
of more.
I am encouraged. Just recently, President Obama--and this
demonstrates the bipartisan nature of this effort--has appointed a
White House task force to protect students from sexual assault. I am
pleased to be able to be participating with some local folks in my
community to help advise that committee.
We are using the experiences that we have from experts at local
colleges like Drexel, Villanova, and Penn State and campus experts who
have worked in this area on the campuses. We are seeing some issues
that need to be addressed.
We are looking at issues like reporting procedures that require
victims of sexual assault, once they report the story, to sometimes
have to retell it two and three different times, in order
[[Page H2891]]
for them to fulfill the requirements of reporting either at colleges,
rape crisis centers, or with law enforcement. We are violating these
victims again and again with procedures like that.
We are seeing women who are subjecting themselves to rape kits. It is
appropriate and may be necessary for the collection of evidence, but we
are finding, a year later, they haven't even taken the time to process
the rape kit.
How many years do we have to continue to deal with dramatic backlogs
in just the identification of straightforward evidence that would help
us put some of these perpetrators in jail, where they belong?
We are examining the convoluted patchwork of Federal rules and
regulations that, while well-intentioned, often work at cross-purposes.
We are trying to strengthen the way partnerships can be generated
between victims' services groups, college representatives, and among
law enforcement.
The biggest challenge we face from the victims is the confusion about
the process. They don't know who to turn to or who to report to. That
is why we must continue to work together as colleagues to help clarify
the rules and regulations that we are creating to send the kinds of
signals so there is certainty and the ability of these victims to reach
out for help.
I thank you, Mr. Reed, for your leadership on this. I pledge my
intention to continue to work with you and our colleagues on both sides
of the aisle to assure that we are making not only good, sound law, but
making the procedures work for the benefit of the victims.
Mr. REED. I so appreciate the work, leadership, and experience of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meehan) on this issue. I don't think I
could have said it any better in the sense of the victims being
victimized repeatedly not just by the perpetrator, but by the system.
Hearing the gentleman from Pennsylvania give a firsthand account as
to what that means, I think, is very important as we deal with the NO
MORE campaign and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
At this time, Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield to a new Member,
but a great Member of this great Chamber, Mrs. Brooks from Indiana.
Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
I rise today to say ``no more.''
I want to thank my dear colleague, Representative Reed from New York,
for bringing the attention of this body and to the country to this
campaign of no more to sexual violence. It is Sexual Assault Awareness
Month, and we need to take this opportunity to speak harsh but true
words.
Every 2 minutes, which is about how long my remarks are going to be,
another American is sexually assaulted. That is 237,868 victims a year.
This is a crime that touches people of all backgrounds and all walks of
life.
Madam Speaker, we have a sexual assault crisis in this country. It is
time to do something about it. It is time to say ``no more.''
Perhaps nowhere is the pain and suffering caused by this crisis more
apparent than on our great college campuses. Nineteen percent of women
on campus--almost one in five--will be the victim of an attempted or a
completed sexual assault during their college experience.
Madam Speaker, we have a sexual assault crisis on our college
campuses. It is time to do something about it. It is time we say ``no
more.''
As a mom who has sent two kids off to college in recent years, these
numbers scare me. I know the truth of these numbers, having counseled
one of my daughter's friends in college about 4 years ago and having
recently counseled the mother of another person who had been assaulted
on a college campus.
This makes me angry. There is no excuse in this country for this
problem. There is no valid reason for anyone to look in the other
direction or to pretend this problem doesn't exist. Let's once and for
all say ``no more'' to this problem.
We have to work together. I am very pleased that the Democrats and
the Republicans in this body are working together.
We have to offer victims more support. We have to bring offenders to
justice. We have to analyze these daunting statistics and find real
solutions.
Eighty-four percent of women who experience sexually coercive
behavior while in college are victimized during their first four
semesters on campus. Forty-three percent of sexual victimization
incidents on campuses do involve alcohol by the victim and about 69
percent by the perpetrator.
Let's have a real conversation with our freshmen and with our young
people in college about those risky decisions that they make.
More than half of the raped college women tell no one about the
horrendous crime that can change their lives forever. We have to
support the organizations, coalitions, and families that are helping
these women--and yes, some men--and empower them to come forward and
seek justice. That is only a part of the healing process, but it is a
critical part.
No one should get away with sexual assault. We have to say ``no
more'' to free passes. We have the greatest university system in the
world. We educate the best and the brightest. We graduate 21st century
innovators with the talent and the dedication necessary to make our
Nation and world a better place.
Surely, this is a sad challenge that we can work together on to
address. This is an opportunity for us to say ``no more'' and mean it.
Let's take this opportunity. We have a sexual assault crisis on our
college campuses, but it is also in our Nation, so let's do something.
I want to thank my colleague from New York for leading. Let's say
``no more.''
{time} 1615
Mr. REED. I thank the gentlelady for her comments and joining us in
this effort to say ``no more.'' The gentlelady's comments about the use
of alcohol and other intoxicants being a part of, sometimes, these
situations, I can't express enough how many times I hear that story and
how we need to make sure that we are talking to our kids, we are
talking to folks as they are going off to college or in our high
schools about the danger associated with the use of alcohol and being
put into this situation.
Just be honest, just be honest and just say with that decision comes
risk, and with those risks are often horrific events such as what we
are talking about tonight, young men and women being sexually
assaulted, domestically abused by partners, people that they know. It
is time we raise this in a way that we speak openly and honestly about
this issue.
Madam Speaker, I am so pleased to be joined by a new Member of the
House, my good friend from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), and I yield to
the gentleman.
Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Thank you to my great colleague from
the great State of New York.
It is humbling for me to stand here with you and the others who have
spoken before me, those of you who have a family member who has
experienced such a traumatic, traumatic event.
I have been here with prosecutors who have convicted those criminals
who deserve to go to jail and to stand here with somebody like Mrs.
Brooks, who worked in the college arena and saw devastation, now, for
me to come up here, I have got to tell you, I am here as a dad. I am
here as a father to a 17-year-old daughter who, in a year and a half,
will go to college.
In my district in central Illinois, we have nine universities and
colleges, over 45,000 female students. With the CDC estimating that 19
percent of women have experienced sexual assault since entering
college, let me do the math for you. That is 8,500 women in my district
that, if the statistics remain true, will experience sexual assault.
I represent a district of 14 counties. This is unacceptable. That is
why I rise with you, Mr. Reed, to say ``no more'' today.
I am alarmed by the fact that my daughter is going to go off to
school, get in her car, and my wife and I are going to be very, very
sad when we drop her off at school. And I hope and pray that these
statistics don't come right to my mind, but, you know, as a dad, they
will. We have to do something in this institution about it.
I am proud to be a part of the Victims' Rights Caucus with you and
Mr.
[[Page H2892]]
Costa and my other colleagues, and I am committed to being a champion
for the rights of victims.
There are numerous events. I want to remind people, it is not enough
to stand and be silent. It is not enough to recognize we have a
problem. Go participate in your local events that are going to be
happening in your communities throughout the month of April--as we
know, it is Sexual Assault Awareness Month--including tomorrow's Paint
the Town Teal, where hundreds of people will wear this color to raise
awareness and support survivors of sexual assault. I encourage everyone
to get involved in these local events.
I want to make sure that everyone here knows, this is an issue that I
and my colleagues will not forget about after the month of April. I
look forward to the day when sexual assault is no longer a chronic
problem that deserves national attention. However, until that day, the
responsibility is on all of us to do what we can to stop sexual assault
in this country and to say ``no more.''
Mr. REED. I thank the gentleman from Illinois for those very good and
eloquent remarks on this important issue of ``no more.''
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to be joined by a Member from the great
State of Indiana (Mrs. Walorski), and I yield to her.
Mrs. WALORSKI. I thank the gentleman from New York for organizing
tonight's discussion on this important topic.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and I rise today to say ``no
more'' to sexual assault. This tragic epidemic impacts every community.
Most of us know at least one sexual assault survivor.
In my area, a report released by Saint Mary's College, found an
alarming number of Hoosier girls affected by acts of sexual violence.
Indiana ranks second out of 46 States for the highest number of rapes
among female high school students, and this is unacceptable. 14.5
percent of Indiana's female high school students and 5.2 percent of
Indiana's male high school students have reported being raped. This
shocking number only accounts for those attacks that are reported. As
we all know, most assaults go unreported.
Since joining Congress, I have worked to put an end to sexual
violence. Working with the House Armed Services and the House Veterans'
Affairs Committees, I have authored and supported a number of
provisions aimed at combating the growing number and the epidemic of
military sexual assault trauma.
Today I call on my colleagues to raise awareness of about sexual
assault and how we can all work together to prevent it, to respond to
it, and to say ``no'' to sexual assault together.
I thank the gentleman from New York for this opportunity to join you
in saying ``no more'' to sexual assault.
Mr. REED. I can't agree any more with my colleague from Indiana. ``No
more.'' It is time. No more excuses. No more across America.
Madam Speaker, I am honored to be joined by a great friend from our
State of New York (Mr. Gibson), one of the leaders down here in the
House, and I yield to him.
Mr. GIBSON. I thank my friend and neighbor from New York.
Madam Speaker, I am honored to be here today with my colleagues as we
jointly pursue the effort to prevent sexual assault. I think this is
something that really goes to the core of who we are as a people.
I am reminded at this moment of some of our ideas at the very
founding, inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness. These inalienable rights come from God, but
governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from
the consent of the governed to secure these rights.
We have taken action here in this Chamber. We have worked together to
do that. The Violence Against Women Act we passed a little over a year
ago, and then the budget agreement that we enacted at the end of last
year increased by $10 million. Certainly we need to do more than that,
but we are taking some action.
I want to highlight how that can make a difference right at the local
level. These resources go towards education for law enforcement
professionals and for conduit with the judicial system. It is also for
shelters and for supporting infrastructure and health care networks.
I am reminded of one of the visits my wife and I made recently to the
Washbourne House in Kingston. That is the largest city in my district,
the 19th district in New York, where I met with Michael Berg, who heads
the Family of Woodstock shelters, and Cathy Moriarty, who actually runs
the Washbourne House.
Madam Speaker, this is really hard work. These victims of sexual
assault and domestic violence, when they first show up at the doorstep
of the Washbourne House, security, the most basic of human needs, that
is their biggest concern, and for these leaders, providing that
security and helping the family to be able to trust again; then, for
basic needs, some of these victims come with children, and providing
for them to get back into a sense of normalcy, to get them back into
school, all the while, to help our victims to get back up on their feet
and to be self-reliant going forward, these resources are just critical
to support these programs.
I am very proud of the work that is done there. I think it is
illustrative of the kind of work that is done by very special people in
our country all across our land. But there is more to be done, and
there is an opportunity for us to do more. I am talking about, now,
H.R. 3571. This is the International Violence Against Women Act, and
this provides resources to help coordinate USAID and Department of
State efforts about our funding programs to make them more effective as
we work with our friends and allies across the world.
I will tell you, this will not only help, I think, prevent sexual
assault and bring more security, but it will also make us a stronger
country. It will make us a stronger country, and it will bring us truer
and in line with our founding principles. I argue that when we do that,
on our best day, other countries want to be like us; and in that
regard, it actually makes us safer as well.
So I just want to thank the organizations that work with us on this
effort. I am talking about a number of organizations, but I would like
to point out Amnesty International, CARE USA, and Futures Against
Violence. I thank them for their leadership on this issue.
I thank everyone for being here today, and I thank my friend from New
York.
Mr. REED. I thank the gentleman from New York for joining us tonight,
and I appreciate the friendship and the support for the NO MORE
campaign tonight.
Madam Speaker, one of my best friends here in this great Chamber, my
fellow member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentlewoman from
Tennessee (Mrs. Black) is joining us this evening, and I yield to her.
Mrs. BLACK. Madam Speaker, I am proud to stand here with my good
friend from New York and to say ``no more'' to sexual assault. This
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and I commend Mr. Reed for
leading this effort to raise awareness and bring attention to this
crucial issue.
Every 2 minutes, an American is assaulted in this country, and one in
five women is a survivor of rape. This is sad and deplorable, and we
must do more to share the daunting facts about sexual assault in this
country as well as let people know where they can go to get help.
We must act to protect our Nation's women, but it goes further than
this. You see, in this country, one in six men have been victims of
sexual abuse before they reach the age of 18. This kind of child abuse
must be brought to light, and perpetrators must be severely punished.
During my time of working in the Tennessee State Legislature, I was
proud to support numerous measures to help protect women and children--
and, in particular, children--from sexual assault. I sponsored
legislation strengthening the penalties for the crime of rape of a
child.
But in order to root out perpetrators of sexual violence, victims
need to know where they can turn. I am grateful for the work of
nomore.org for raising the awareness on this issue and for offering
resources where victims can get the help that they so greatly need.
These heinous crimes are unacceptable, and it is why it is so
important to say ``no more'' this Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
[[Page H2893]]
I thank my friend for bringing this issue to the floor tonight. It is
so important.
Mr. REED. I thank the gentlelady for her remarks and comments.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Washington State (Mr.
Reichert), our great sheriff and cochair of the Law Enforcement Caucus.
Mr. REICHERT. Thank you, Mr. Reed, for inviting me to speak this
evening on this important topic.
I don't come here tonight with statistics. I come here with 33 years
of experience in law enforcement. I was a cop for a long time before I
came to Congress. I have been to the homes. I have seen the faces of
the mothers and the fathers. I have seen the faces of the victims of
sexual assault. I have held them in my arms while they cried and fell
to the floor in a puddle of tears. These are real people. These are our
children.
When I was on patrol back in the early seventies, I had a case where
I was driving around all night. It was 2 in the morning. I found this
young man wandering the streets. I pulled up and asked him what was
wrong. He was sobbing and crying and asking for help. It took him at
least an hour, Madam Speaker--an hour--before he could really finally
tell me what happened to him. He had been abducted and taken to a
remote home and raped and assaulted, humiliated and beaten for 2 days.
Imagine being in that position. Imagine being a victim of such a
horrendous crime.
My own family has been touched by this, as I know some folks may be
listening and some speaking tonight may have mentioned that. One of my
own family members was raped.
But I know this from a deeper experience. When I was a homicide
detective for the King County Sheriff's Office in the early eighties, I
was assigned a case called the Green River serial murder case, where
50-plus women were killed.
Now, how did those young girls and women get on the streets? They
were abused. They were sexually assaulted at home. They were physically
assaulted. They were emotionally assaulted, and they left home. They
were raped at home. They were raped by their neighbors. They were raped
by their family members, and they ended up on the street.
{time} 1630
And whose arms did they fall into, Madam Speaker, but the arms of a
pimp, again to be victimized and raped over and over and over,
sometimes for money, sometimes not. Lives destroyed. Some survived
physically but were mentally and emotionally drained. Their lives and
spirit ripped from their hearts.
This is a crime that until you see, until you look into the eyes of
the person who has been victimized in such a horrendous way, you never
really truly understand the pain and the suffering that they have been
through.
If they survive, they have a long, long road of recovery. And we call
these people survivors. We call them survivors. If they don't, like in
the Green River case, they die; their lives are taken.
Madam Speaker, we cannot allow this to continue in this country. I
know that every day, there is a cop on the street, there is a social
worker out there that is dealing with this crime. We have got to stop
this. We have got to save the lives of our children.
Thank you, Mr. Reed for holding this hour tonight. Thank you for the
opportunity to share some of my story.
Mr. REED. I thank the gentleman from Washington State, the sheriff,
for the words and the experience and sharing tonight in our efforts to
say ``no more'' to sexual assault.
Madam Speaker, I know we are coming to the end of the Special Order
this evening. So I will just close with a few words.
Madam Speaker, I stand in this Chamber today joined by my niece, who
is with us this evening. I can't tell you how impressed, how proud I am
of that young lady who has now turned one of the most negative
experiences, horrific experiences in her life and is doing something
positive about it.
It is her voice that has moved me to stand with my colleagues, to
work across the country, to work with organizations like NO MORE and
Sexual Assault Awareness Month to say, I am going to do my part, Madam
Speaker. I am going to do my part to make sure that we scream from the
mountains, across this land, that sexual assault--be it man, woman,
child, adult--we have heard the stories all night tonight. But in the
great land of the United States of America, we are going to say ``no
more'' because it tears lives apart.
Victims are not only victimized by the perpetrators who do these
horrific acts, but they are revictimized over and over again. And it is
time we, as a Nation, come together and say, you know what, we are
going to stand with the victims. We are going to educate and make
people aware of this issue so that we can empower people--our law
enforcement agencies, our prosecutors, the people that do God's work
and tending to the people when they need the services that rape victims
and sexual assault and domestic violence victims need and turn to in
their time of need.
So we are going to continue this battle. We are going to continue
this fight. And I just have to applaud the efforts of the men and women
across the country that are coming together to say in one voice, ``no
more.''
All 300-plus million people in America need to come together to
highlight this issue. And I can tell you, if we unite as a Nation, we
can bring to an end sexual assault and domestic violence.
And to my niece, I just say, I will always have your back. I will
always stand with you shoulder to shoulder. And to anyone who wants to
say she deserved it or she wanted it or that she was drinking and it
was the alcohol that caused it, ``no more.'' She is not the person that
is responsible for this. As I said on March 14, when I asked her what I
should tell the American Nation on her behalf, say ``no more'' because
there are no excuses.
I appreciate my colleagues, my friends and the folks from the other
side of the aisle coming together tonight to talk about this, which is
such an important issue that we need to talk about and to, for once and
for all, say ``no more.''
I ask every American, have a conversation with your daughter, your
spouse, your son, your mother, your father, your aunt, your uncle.
Speak about this issue. Empower each of us, as individuals, to say, we
are not going to accept this in our midst any longer. I am confident,
Madam Speaker, if we do that, that we won't have to say in the last 60
minutes that we have joined here together, that 30 more of our fellow
American citizens have just suffered from one of the most horrific
crimes on the face of the Earth, and that is sexual assault.
It is time to say ``no more,'' and I ask everyone to join us in that
campaign.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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