[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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