H. Con. Res. 104 Agreed to April 30, 2009

One Hundred Eleventh Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE FIRST SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, 

the sixth day of January, two thousand and nine 

Concurrent Resolution 

Whereas on average, a person is sexually assaulted in the United 

States every two-and-a-half minutes; 

Whereas the Department of Justice reports that 191,670 people 

in the United States were sexually assaulted in 2005; 

Whereas 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men have been victims of 

rape or attempted rape; 

Whereas the Department of Defense received 2,688 reports of sexual 

assault involving members of the Armed Forces in fiscal year 

2007; 

Whereas children and young adults are most at risk of sexual 

assault, as 44 percent of sexual assault victims are under the 

age of 18, and 80 percent are under the age of 30; 

Whereas sexual assault affects women, men, and children of all 

racial, social, religious, age, ethnic, and economic groups in the 

United States; 

Whereas only 41 percent of sexual assault victims pursue prosecution by reporting their attack to law enforcement agencies; 

Whereas two-thirds of sexual crimes are committed by persons 

who are not strangers to the victims; 

Whereas sexual assault survivors suffer emotional scars long after 

the physical scars have healed; 

Whereas prevention education programs carried out by rape crisis 

and women’s health centers have the potential to reduce the 

prevalence of sexual assault in their communities; 

Whereas because of recent advances in DNA technology, law 

enforcement agencies have the potential to identify the rapists 

in tens of thousands of unsolved rape cases; 

Whereas aggressive prosecution can incarcerate rapists and therefore prevent them from committing further crimes; 

Whereas free, confidential help is available to all survivors of sexual 

assault through the National Sexual Assault Hotline, more than 

1,000 rape crisis centers across the United States, and other 

organizations that provide services to assist survivors of sexual 

assault; and 

Whereas April is recognized as ‘‘National Sexual Assault Awareness 

and Prevention Month’’: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That— 

(1) it is the sense of Congress that— 
H. Con. Res. 104—2 

(A) National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention 

Month provides a special opportunity to educate the people 

of the United States about sexual violence and to encourage 

the prevention of sexual assault, the improved treatment 

of its survivors, and the prosecution of its perpetrators; 

(B) it is appropriate to properly acknowledge the more 

than 20,000,000 men and women who have survived sexual 

assault in the United States and salute the efforts of survivors, volunteers, and professionals who combat sexual 

assault; 

(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 its survivors, and 

increasing the number of successful prosecutions of its 

perpetrators; and 

(D) public safety, law enforcement, and health professionals should be recognized and applauded for their hard 

work and innovative strategies to increase the percentage 

of sexual assault cases that result in the prosecution and 

incarceration of the offenders; 

(2) Congress strongly recommends national and community 

organizations, businesses in the private sector, colleges and 

universities, and the media to promote, through National 

Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, awareness 

of sexual violence and strategies to decrease the incidence of 

sexual assault; and 

(3) Congress supports the goals and ideals of National 

Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. 

Attest: 

Clerk of the House of Representatives. 

Attest: 

Secretary of the Senate.