[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 5, 2011)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 18633-18634]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8139]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 5, 2011 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 18633]]


                Proclamation 8643 of March 31, 2011

                
National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention 
                Month, 2011

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Our Nation must continue to confront rape and other 
                forms of sexual violence as a deplorable crime. Too 
                many victims suffer unaided, and too many offenders 
                elude justice. As we mark National Sexual Assault 
                Awareness and Prevention Month, we recommit to building 
                a society where no woman, man, or child endures the 
                fear of assault or the pain of an attack on their 
                physical well-being and basic human dignity.

                Despite reforms to our legal system, sexual violence 
                remains pervasive and largely misunderstood. Nearly one 
                in six American women will experience an attempted or 
                completed rape at some point in her life, and for some 
                groups, rates of sexual violence are even higher. 
                Almost one in three American Indian and Alaska Native 
                women will be sexually assaulted. Young women ages 16 
                to 24 are at greatest risk, and an alarming number of 
                young women are sexually assaulted while in college. 
                Too many men and boys are also affected. With each new 
                victim and each person still suffering from an attack, 
                we are called with renewed purpose to respond to and 
                rid our Nation of all forms of sexual violence.

                Sexual assault is considered to be the most 
                underreported violent crime in America, and criminal 
                justice responses vary widely across our country. Some 
                communities have developed highly trained, coordinated 
                teams who understand the nature of sexual assault and 
                can respond with compassionate understanding. In other 
                places, victims hesitate to report these crimes because 
                they fear the criminal justice system will respond with 
                skepticism or fail to bring the perpetrator to justice. 
                We must ensure our police, prosecutors, and courts 
                treat victims with the seriousness and respect they 
                need and deserve. We must do more to provide services 
                that help victims recover from the trauma of sexual 
                assault. And ultimately, we must prevent sexual assault 
                before it happens.

                Under Vice President Joe Biden's leadership, my 
                Administration is committed to engaging a broad 
                spectrum of Federal agencies and community partners to 
                prevent sexual assault, support victims, and hold 
                offenders accountable. The Department of Justice's 
                Office on Violence Against Women is leading the Sexual 
                Assault Demonstration Initiative to improve the way 
                sexual assault survivors are served. The Centers for 
                Disease Control and Prevention is funding innovative 
                prevention campaigns that engage bystanders in reducing 
                sexual assault, and the Department of Education is 
                working to combat sexual violence at schools and 
                universities. We will continue to support new 
                approaches that show promise in changing cultural 
                attitudes toward sexual violence and preventing these 
                crimes.

                Each victim of sexual assault represents a sister or a 
                daughter, a nephew or a friend. We must break the 
                silence so no victim anguishes without resources or aid 
                in their time of greatest need. We must continue to 
                reinforce that America will not tolerate sexual 
                violence within our borders. Likewise, we will partner 
                with countries across the globe as we work toward a 
                common vision of a world free from the threat of sexual 
                violence, including as

[[Page 18634]]

                a tool of conflict. Working together, we can reduce the 
                incidence of sexual assault and heal lives that have 
                already been devastated by this terrible crime.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim April 2011 as 
                National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. 
                I urge all Americans to support victims and work 
                together to prevent these crimes in their communities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth. 
                <GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2011-8139
Filed 4-4-11; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-W1-P