IV 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 541 
Supporting the goals and ideals of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention 
Month. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 3, 2014 
Mr. REED (for himself and Ms. MOORE) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goals and ideals of Sexual Assault Awareness 
and Prevention Month. 
Whereas on average another person is sexually assaulted in 
the United States every 2 minutes; 
Whereas the Department of Justice reports that more than 
200,000 people in the United States are sexually as-
saulted each year; 
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 of sexual 
assault, as 44 percent of victims of sexual assault are 
under the age of 18, and 80 percent are under the age 
of 30; 
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•HRES 541 IH 
Whereas sexual assault affects women, men, and children of 
all racial, social, religious, age, ethnic, ability, sexual ori-
entation, and economic groups in the United States; 
Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently 
expanded its definition of rape to include sexual assault 
against males, which will assist in making reporting of 
this devastating crime more accurate and provide a better 
understanding of its effects on victims; 
Whereas in addition to the immediate physical and emotional 
costs, sexual assault has associated consequences that 
may include post-traumatic stress disorder, substance 
abuse, depression, homelessness, eating disorders, and 
suicide; 
Whereas all forms of sexual violence are unacceptable, wheth-
er committed by a stranger, family member or acquaint-
ance of the victim; 
Whereas less than half of sexual assault victims pursue pros-
ecution by reporting their attack to law enforcement 
agencies; 
Whereas by fully assessing the scope of the backlog of untest-
ed evidence in the possession of law enforcement and 
crime labs and by using DNA technology to eliminate the 
backlog, there is potential to identify and prosecute rap-
ists in tens of thousands of unsolved cases; 
Whereas aggressive prosecution can lead to the incarceration 
of rapists, who tend to be serial criminals who methodi-
cally select their victims and plan their crimes, thereby 
preventing them from committing further crimes; 
Whereas national, State, territory, and tribal coalitions, com-
munity-based sexual assault service providers, law en-
forcement agencies, and other organizations across the 
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•HRES 541 IH 
United States are committed to increasing public aware-
ness of sexual violence and its prevalence, and to elimi-
nating it through improvements to the criminal justice 
system and programs to prevent crime and educate the 
public; 
Whereas important partnerships have been formed among 
criminal and juvenile justice agencies, health profes-
sionals, public health workers, educators, first respond-
ers, and victim service providers; 
Whereas free, confidential help is available to all victims and 
survivors of sexual assault through the National Sexual 
Assault Hotline (800–565–HOPE) and National Sexual 
Assault Online Hotline (online.rainn.org), and more than 
1,000 sexual assault service providers across the United 
States; 
Whereas the Department of Defense (DOD) estimates that 
more than 19,000 members of the Armed Forces are sex-
ually assaulted each year; 
Whereas the DOD Safe Helpline, operated by the Rape, 
Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) on behalf of 
DOD, provides live help to Active duty servicemembers 
and other members of the DOD community worldwide by 
phone (877–995–5247) and online at SafeHelpline.org, 
as well as installation-based referrals via texting; 
Whereas the Safe Helpline mobile app allows survivors of sex-
ual assault in the military to create a customized self- 
care plan and connect to resources from anywhere in the 
world; 
Whereas the DOD Safe HelpRoom, a moderated online peer 
support service allows survivors of sexual assault in the 
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•HRES 541 IH 
military to connect with one another in a secure online 
environment; 
Whereas according to a 2013 survey of rape crisis centers by 
the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, almost 75 
percent of rape crisis centers lost funding in the past 
year, over 50 percent of programs have laid-off staff in 
the past year, and over 33 percent of programs have a 
waiting list for counseling services, with some waiting 
times exceeding 2 months; 
Whereas individual and collective efforts reflect the dream for 
a Nation where citizens and organizations actively work 
to prevent all forms of sexual violence and no sexual as-
sault victim goes unserved and no sexual assault perpe-
trator goes unpunished; 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 Representa-
tives that— 
(A) National Sexual Assault Awareness 
and Prevention Month provides a special oppor-
tunity to educate the people of the United 
States about sexual violence and to encourage 
the prevention of sexual assault, the improved 
treatment of its victims, and the prosecution of 
its perpetrators; 
(B) it is appropriate to properly acknowl-
edge the more than 20 million men and women 
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•HRES 541 IH 
who have survived sexual assault in the United 
States and salute the efforts of survivors, volun-
teers, and professionals who combat sexual as-
sault; 
(C) national and community organizations 
and private sector supporters should be recog-
nized and applauded for their work in pro-
moting awareness about sexual assault, pro-
viding information and treatment to its sur-
vivors, 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) the House of Representatives strongly rec-
ommends national and community organizations, 
businesses in the private sector, colleges and univer-
sities, and the media to promote, through National 
Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, 
awareness of sexual violence and strategies to de-
crease the incidence of sexual assault; and 
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•HRES 541 IH 
(3) the House of Representatives supports the 
goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault Aware-
ness and Prevention Month. 
Æ 
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