[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 79 (Monday, May 8, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2802-S2803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 159--RECOGNIZING AND SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS 
               OF NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH

  Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, and Mrs. Ernst) submitted 
the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 159

       Whereas, according to the Department of Justice, there were 
     an estimated 90,185 rapes reported to law enforcement in 
     2015, which is a 6.3-percent increase as compared to 2014;
       Whereas, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource 
     Center, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men will experience an 
     attempted or completed rape at some point in their lives;
       Whereas, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National 
     Network, an individual is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds 
     in the United States, but for every 1000 rapes committed, on 
     average only--
       (1) 310 rapes are reported to law enforcement;
       (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 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 in 2015, over 16,000 
     service members intervened in situations they believed to be 
     at risk for sexual assault;
       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, 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;

[[Page S2803]]

       Whereas sexual assault survivors suffer emotional 
     complications long after their physical scars have healed;
       Whereas advances in deoxyribonucleaic acid (DNA) technology 
     have enabled law enforcement agencies to identify and 
     prosecute the perpetrators in tens of thousands of 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 (800-656-HOPE and 
     online.rainn.org); and
       (2) more than 1,000 sexual assault service providers across 
     the United States;
       Whereas the DoD Safe Helpline, Safe HelpRoom, and Safe 
     Helpline mobile app each provide support and help to members 
     of the Department of Defense community--
       (1) by telephone at 877-995-5247; and
       (2) online at 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 sexual assault victim to be unserved or feel 
     that there is no path to justice; and
       Whereas April 2017 is recognized as ``National Sexual 
     Assault Awareness Month'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (A) National Sexual Assault Awareness Month provides a 
     special opportunity to educate the people of the United 
     States about sexual violence and to encourage the prevention 
     of sexual assault, improvement in the treatment of survivors 
     of sexual assault, and 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 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 ensure perpetrators of 
     sexual assault are held accountable; and
       (2) the Senate supports the goals and ideals of National 
     Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I want to take this opportunity to 
remind my colleagues that April is National Sexual Assault Awareness 
Month. We commemorate it each year to bring public awareness to the 
staggering problem of sexual violence.
  Tens of thousands of people in the United States and hundreds of my 
fellow Iowans annually fall victim to this heinous crime. Sexual 
assault occurs at least every minute and a half, according to law 
enforcement statistics. These same figures reveal an increase in rape 
cases since 2011, contrary to claims by the former Obama administration 
that the violent crime rate had declined in recent years. But up to 
two-thirds of sexual assaults are never reported to police, say crime 
victim advocates. This means that the average perpetrator strikes 
multiple times before being brought to justice. Equally as troubling, 
the incarceration rate is less than one percent of all sexual assaults 
reported to law enforcement.
  The FBI ranks rape as one of the two most violent crimes, second only 
to murder in its effects. Survivors suffer not only physical 
consequences, but sometimes life-shattering emotional effects as well. 
According to the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network, as well as the 
National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, post-traumatic stress 
disorder is typical. Depression or even suicide is not uncommon. The 
healing process is often slow and painstaking.
  Today, I introduced a bipartisan resolution to commemorate Sexual 
Assault Awareness Month and honor the survivors of this heinous crime. 
I thank Senators Feinstein and Ernst for joining me as cosponsors of 
the resolution.
  During my time as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, we have 
made crime survivors rights a top priority. Two years ago, we passed, 
and the President signed, major legislation to benefit the survivors of 
human trafficking. Last year, the President also signed the House 
version of a survivors' bill of rights that our committee reported as 
part of the Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act and we approved legislation 
to extend programs that support the analysis of sexual assault evidence 
by the Nation's crime labs.
  Supporting and protecting survivors of sexual violence will continue 
to be a focus for our committee in 2017. Last month, I convened a 
hearing to examine allegations that dozens of young athletes 
experienced sexual abuse at the hands of coaches, instructors, and 
others. I recently joined our committee's ranking member, Senator 
Feinstein, in introducing the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual 
Abuse Act. The bill's purpose is to ensure that sexual assault 
allegations by young athletes will be reported and investigated 
promptly. This year we will also make it a priority to extend and 
update programs that are authorized under the Trafficking Victims 
Protection Act.
  Mr. President, I will close by reaffirming my support for survivors 
of sexual violence and expressing my continued commitment to advocate 
for them. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of the 
resolution I have introduced today.

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