[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 3, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 22891-22892]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07193]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 89 , No. 65 / Wednesday, April 3, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 22891]]


                Proclamation 10720 of March 29, 2024

                
National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention 
                Month, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Sexual violence affects every community in this Nation, 
                leaving millions of Americans--our neighbors, friends, 
                colleagues, and loved ones--scarred. For many 
                survivors, healing can take years, and for some, the 
                pain never heals completely. During National Sexual 
                Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, we recommit to 
                standing with survivors, holding perpetrators 
                accountable, and bringing an end to a culture that has 
                allowed sexual assault to occur for far too long.

                More than half of all women and nearly one-third of all 
                men in America have experienced sexual violence. The 
                rate of sexual violence is even higher for people of 
                color. Survivors have faced this violence wherever life 
                happens--at work, at school, at home, and online. It 
                can upend people's jobs and contribute to mental health 
                issues like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic 
                stress disorder. It is an insult to our most basic 
                humanity and everything we stand for as a Nation.

                Ending gender-based violence has been the cause of my 
                life. Thirty years ago, as a United States Senator, I 
                wrote and championed the original Violence Against 
                Women Act (VAWA). This law gave us the tools to prevent 
                and prosecute sexual assault, provide support for 
                survivors, and save lives. Every time we have re-
                authorized it, we have made it stronger. In December 
                2022, we secured $700 million for VAWA programs--the 
                highest funding level in history--for the next fiscal 
                year. Those funds have helped strengthen the public 
                health response for domestic violence and sexual 
                assault survivors and their children, and expand access 
                to sexual assault medical forensic examinations and 
                culturally specific resources for LGBTQI+ survivors, 
                rural areas, and other underserved and marginalized 
                communities. The reauthorization also established a new 
                offense for Federal law enforcement officers who commit 
                sexual misconduct under color of law and expanded 
                Tribal jurisdiction so that non-Native perpetrators of 
                sexual assault can be prosecuted for crimes they commit 
                on Tribal lands.

                My Administration has made ending gender-based violence 
                a top priority in many other ways too. Our American 
                Rescue Plan delivered $1 billion in funding for rape 
                crisis centers, community support organizations, and 
                other sexual violence services nationwide. We released 
                the first-ever National Plan to End Gender-Based 
                Violence, advancing a comprehensive Government-wide 
                approach to preventing and addressing gender-based 
                violence across the country. When we passed the most 
                significant gun law in nearly 30 years, we narrowed the 
                so-called ``boyfriend loophole,'' keeping guns out of 
                the hands of domestic abusers. To combat online 
                harassment and abuse, I worked with Vice President 
                Kamala Harris to launch a Federal task force that has 
                taken concrete steps on prevention, accountability, 
                research, and support for survivors and launched the 
                first 24/7 national helpline for survivors of image-
                based sexual abuse.

                We are also ensuring people are safe from abuse at 
                school and work. I signed an Executive Order that 
                called on the Department of Education to

[[Page 22892]]

                protect students from discrimination based on sex, 
                including sex-based harassment and sexual violence, and 
                I remain steadfast in my commitment to ensuring all 
                students have an educational environment free from 
                discrimination. I have also signed laws limiting the 
                enforcement of non-disclosure agreements for those who 
                have been sexually assaulted or harassed in the 
                workplace and ending forced arbitration so that 
                survivors can get their day in court. Additionally, I 
                have asked that Federal agencies take action to make 
                leave more accessible for employees seeking safety and 
                recovering from gender-based violence. Furthermore, I 
                have spearheaded historic military justice reforms to 
                better protect survivors in our military and ensure 
                that prosecutorial decisions in cases of gender-based 
                violence are fully independent from the chain of 
                command.

                This National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention 
                Month, let us each recommit to stepping up and doing 
                our part to intervene in, prevent, and end sexual 
                assault in our communities. Let us redouble our efforts 
                to support and stand with survivors of sexual assault. 
                Let us pledge to work together to create a society that 
                is truly safe, where all Americans can pursue their 
                dreams without fear of assault, abuse, or harassment.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of 
                the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2024 as 
                National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. 
                I urge all Americans to support sexual assault 
                survivors, including when survivors reach out and 
                disclose abuse, and to strengthen our efforts to 
                prevent this abuse in the first place.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-07193
Filed 4-2-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P