H. Res. 289
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
April 24, 2007.
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 children and young adults are most at risk, 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 per-
sons who are not strangers to the victims; 
Whereas sexual assault survivors suffer emotional scars long 
after the physical scars have healed;
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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 commu-
nities; 
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 Hot-
line, more than 1,000 rape crisis centers across the 
United States, and other organizations that provide serv-
ices to assist survivors of sexual assault; 
Whereas the rate of sexual assaults has decreased by half in 
the last decade; and 
Whereas April is recognized as ‘‘National Sexual Assault 
Awareness and Prevention Month’’: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That—
(1) it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that—
(A) National Sexual Assault Awareness and 
Prevention Month provides a special opportunity to 
educate the people of the United States about sex-
ual violence and to encourage the prevention of sex-
ual assault, the improved treatment of its survivors, 
and the prosecution of its perpetrators;
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(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 num-
ber of successful prosecutions of its perpetrators; 
(D) public safety, law enforcement, and health 
professionals should be recognized and applauded 
for their hard work and innovative strategies to in-
crease the percentage of sexual assault cases that 
result in the prosecution and incarceration of the 
offenders; 
(2) the House of Representatives strongly rec-
ommends national and community organizations, busi-
nesses in the private sector, colleges and universities, 
and the media to promote, through National Sexual As-
sault Awareness and Prevention Month, awareness of 
sexual violence and strategies to decrease the incidence 
of sexual assault; and
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(3) the House of Representatives supports the goals 
and ideals of National Sexual Assault Awareness and 
Prevention Month. 
Attest:
Clerk.