Presidential Documents

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

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18634 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 5, 2011 / Presidential Documents 

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. 

[FR Doc. 2011–8139 

Filed 4–4–11; 8:45 am] 

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