[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5310]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           IN SUPPORT OF THE ``START BY BELIEVING'' CAMPAIGN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ANN KIRKPATRICK

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 21, 2015

  Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, according to the Arizona Department of 
Public Safety, there were 1,725 reports of rape or attempted rape in 
2012, which is five sexual assaults per day. And in 2014, the U.S. 
Department of Justice gave an alarming estimate that as many as 1 in 3 
Native American women would be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, a 
rate 2.5 times higher than for any other group.
  Unfortunately, only 40 percent of sexual assaults are reported, and 
if the victim is in college that number is cut in half, according to 
the Justice Department. Research and information from Pennsylvania 
State University and a 2010 U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing found that 
the top reason sexual assault victims do not report the crime is their 
fear of not being believed and being blamed for the attack.
  To address this issue, End Violence Against Women International has 
developed a program titled ``Start By Believing,'' a message that 
confronts the reality that many victims do not get the support they 
need when they report the crime. Local governments, private businesses, 
universities and colleges across the country are participating in the 
Start By Believing campaign.
  April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and I encourage people 
everywhere to share this simple message of support for survivors of 
sexual assault.

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