III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 560 

Recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault 

Awareness and Prevention Month. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 6, 2020 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. LEAHY, Ms. ERNST, Mrs. 

MURRAY, and Mr. GRASSLEY) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of National 

Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. 

Whereas the Senate is committed to the awareness, prevention, and deterrence of sexual violence affecting individuals in the United States; 

Whereas, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey, between 2008 and 2018, approximately— 

(1) 3,434,326 women were victims of rape and sexual assault; and 

(2) 523,895 men were victims of rape and sexual assault; 

Whereas, due to the unprecedented challenges presented by 

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home orders, the needs of sexual assault victims have become even more complex and challenging; 

Whereas, according to a March 2020 survey by the National 

Alliance to End Sexual Violence of more than 600 rape 

crisis programs, 89 percent of those programs need emergency stimulus funding to respond to requests from survivors for support and emergency assistance; 

Whereas, according to the March 2020 survey, since the 

onset of the COVID–19 pandemic, 40 percent of the programs surveyed have experienced an increased demand 

for services both in terms of new requests and more dire 

and complicated requests from existing clients, including 

requests relating to technology needs for virtual services 

and emergency needs of vulnerable survivors; 

Whereas, during the pandemic, many rape crisis centers have 

had to cancel signature fundraisers and have experienced 

overall decreases in private donations; 

Whereas, according to the 2018 Child Maltreatment Report 

of the Department of Health and Human Services, in 

2018, child protective services agencies substantiated or 

found strong evidence to indicate that 47,124 children 

under 18 years of age were victims of sexual abuse; 

Whereas, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey, between 2014 and 2018, an average of only 29 percent of rapes or sexual assaults in the United States were 

reported to law enforcement agencies; 

Whereas studies have suggested that the rate at which American Indians and Alaska Natives experience sexual violence is significantly higher than for other populations in 

the United States; 


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Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, more than 1⁄2 of all female rape victims reported being raped by an intimate partner; 

Whereas sexual violence is a burden for many individuals who 

serve in the Armed Forces, and the Department of Defense estimates that approximately 20,500 members of 

the Armed Forces, including approximately 13,000 

women and 7,500 men, experienced some form of contact 

or penetrative sexual assault during 2018; 

Whereas sexual assault does not discriminate on any basis 

and can affect any individual in the United States; 

Whereas sexual violence may take many forms, including acquaintance, stranger, spousal, and gang rape, incest, 

child sexual abuse, elder sexual abuse, sexual abuse and 

exploitation of disabled persons, commercial sex trafficking, sexual harassment, and stalking; 

Whereas, according to the National Alliance to End Sexual 

Violence, in addition to immediate physical and emotional 

costs, sexual assault can have numerous adverse consequences for the victim, which may include post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, major depression, 

homelessness, eating disorders, and suicide; 

Whereas, according to a 2019 survey of rape crisis centers 

by the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, 1⁄2 of 

such centers have a waiting list, in some cases months 

long, for counseling services, 44 percent lack a therapist 

on staff, and 84 percent have experienced an increased 

demand for services; 

Whereas many sexual assaults are not reported to law enforcement agencies, and many States have restrictive 


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criminal statutes of limitations, which enable many perpetrators to evade punishment for their crimes; 

Whereas advances in deoxyribonucleic acid (commonly known 

as ‘‘DNA’’) technology have enabled law enforcement 

agencies to identify and prosecute the perpetrators in 

tens of thousands of previously unsolved sexual assault 

cases; 

Whereas incarceration of sexual assault perpetrators can prevent perpetrators from committing additional crimes; 

Whereas national, State, territorial, and Tribal coalitions, 

community-based rape crisis centers, and other organizations across the United States are committed to— 

(1) increasing public awareness of sexual violence 

and the prevalence of sexual violence; and 

(2) eliminating sexual violence through prevention 

and education; 

Whereas important partnerships have been formed among 

criminal and juvenile justice agencies, health professionals, public health workers, educators, first responders, and victim service providers; 

Whereas thousands of volunteers and staff at rape crisis centers, State coalitions against sexual assault, and nonprofit organizations across the United States play an important role in making crisis hotlines and other services 

available to survivors of sexual assault; 

Whereas free, confidential help is available to all victims and 

survivors of sexual assault through— 

(1) the National Sexual Assault Hotline— 

(A) by telephone at 800–656–HOPE; and 

(B) online at https://hotline.rainn.org; and 


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(2) more than 1,000 sexual assault service providers 

across the United States; 

Whereas the victim service programs of the Rape, Abuse & 

Incest National Network (commonly known as 

‘‘RAINN’’), including the National Sexual Assault Hotline— 

(1) in 2019, helped 304,275 survivors of sexual assault and their loved ones, which represented the greatest 

number of people assisted since the founding of the hotline in 1994; and 

(2) continue to receive a record number of requests 

for support in 2020; 

Whereas the Department of Defense provides the Safe 

Helpline hotline, Safe HelpRoom online chat service, and 

Safe Helpline mobile application, each of which offer support and help to members of the Department of Defense 

community— 

(1) by telephone at 877–995–5247; and 

(2) online at https://safehelpline.org; 

Whereas individual and collective efforts reflect the dream of 

the people of the United States— 

(1) for individuals and organizations to actively work 

to prevent all forms of sexual violence; and 

(2) for no victim of sexual assault to be unserved or 

feel that there is no path to justice; and 

Whereas April 2020 is recognized as ‘‘National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month’’: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) it is the sense of the Senate that— 


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1 (A) National Sexual Assault Awareness 

2 and Prevention Month provides a special oppor3 tunity to— 

4 (i) educate the people of the United 

5 States about sexual violence; and 

6 (ii) encourage— 

7 (I) the prevention of sexual as8 sault; 

9 (II) improvement in the treat10 ment of survivors of sexual assault; 

11 and 

12 (III) the prosecution of perpetra13 tors of sexual assault; 

14 (B) it is appropriate to properly acknowl15 edge survivors of sexual assault and to com16 mend the volunteers and professionals who as17 sist those survivors in their efforts to heal; 

18 (C) national and community organizations 

19 and private sector supporters should be recog20 nized and applauded for their work in— 

21 (i) promoting awareness about sexual 

22 assault; 

23 (ii) providing information and treat24 ment to survivors of sexual assault; and 


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1 (iii) increasing the number of success2 ful prosecutions of perpetrators of sexual 

3 assault; and 

4 (D) public safety, law enforcement, and 

5 health professionals should be recognized and 

6 applauded for their hard work and innovative 

7 strategies to ensure perpetrators of sexual as8 sault are held accountable; and 

9 (2) the Senate supports the goals and ideals of 

10 National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention 

11 Month. 

Æ 


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