,,iii #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #aag ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #be1 #bjac ,mr4 ,casey 7for himself and ,mr4 ,franken7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,,resolution ,recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of ,national ,sexual ,assault ,awareness and ,prevention ,month4 ,whereas1 on average1 a person is sexually assaulted in the ,united ,states every #b minutes2 ,whereas the ,department of ,justice reports that more than #bjj1jjj people in the ,united ,states are sexually assaulted each year2 ,whereas nearly #a in #e women and #a in #ga men have been victims of rape at some point in their lives2 ,whereas the ,department of ,defense received #c1aeh reports of sexual assault involving members of the ,armed ,forces in fiscal year #bjaj2 ,whereas children and young adults are most at risk of sexual assault1 as #dd percent of sexual assault victims are under #ah years of age1 and #hj percent are under #cj years of age2 ,whereas sexual assault affects women1 men1 and children of all racial1 social1 religious1 age1 ethnic1 and economic groups in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas women1 men1 and children suffer multiple types of sexual violence1 including acquaintance1 stranger1 spousal1 and gang rape1 incest1 child sexual molestation1 forced prostitution1 trafficking1 forced pornography1 ritual abuse1 sexual harassment1 and stalking2 ,whereas it is estimated that the percentage of completed or attempted rape victimization among women in institutions of higher education is between #bj and #be percent over the course of a college career2 ,whereas1 in addition to the immediate physical and emotional costs1 sexual assault has associated consequences that may include post-traumatic stress disorder1 substance abuse1 major depression1 homelessness1 eating disorders1 and suicide2 ,whereas only #da percent of sexual assault victims pursue prosecution by reporting their attack to law enforcement agencies2 ,whereas two-thirds of sexual crimes are committed by persons who are not strangers to the victims2 ,whereas sexual assault survivors suffer emotional scars long after the physical scars have healed2 ,whereas1 because of advances in ,,dna technology1 law enforcement agencies have the potential to identify the rapists in tens of thousands of unsolved rape cases2 ,whereas aggressive prosecution can lead to the incarceration of rapists and therefore prevent those individuals from committing further crimes2 ,whereas national1 ,state1 territory1 and tribal coalitions1 community-based rape crisis centers1 and other organizations across the ,united ,states are committed to increasing public awareness of sexual violence and its prevalence1 and to eliminating sexual violence through prevention and education2 ,whereas important partnerships have been formed among criminal and juvenile justice agencies1 health professionals1 public health workers1 educators1 first responders1 and victim service providers2 ,whereas free1 confidential help is available to all survivors of sexual assault through the ,national ,sexual ,assault ,hotline1 more than #a1jjj rape crisis centers across the ,united ,states1 and other organizations that provide services to assist survivors of sexual assault2 ,whereas1 according to a #bjaa survey of rape crisis centers by the ,national ,alliance to ,end ,sexual ,violence1 #ej percent of the rape crisis centers have experienced a reduction in staffing1 #fe percent of the rape crisis centers have a waiting list for services1 and funding and staffing cuts have resulted in #fg percent of the rape crisis centers having to reduce the amount of hours they spend dedicated to prevention and awareness2 ,whereas individual and collective efforts reflect the dream of the people of the ,united ,states for a country where individuals and organizations actively work to prevent all forms of sexual violence and no sexual assault victim goes unserved or ever feels that there is no path to justice2 and ,whereas ,april is recognized as ,national ,sexual ,assault ,awareness and ,prevention ,month3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that-- 7#a7 it is the sense of the ,senate that-- 7,a7 ,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 assault1 the improved treatment of survivors of sexual assault1 and the prosecution of perpetrators of sexual assault2 7,b7 it is appropriate to properly acknowledge the more than #bj1jjj1jjj men and women who have survived sexual assault in the ,united ,states and salute the efforts of survivors1 volunteers1 and professionals who combat sexual assault2 7,c7 national and community organizations and private sector supporters should be recognized and applauded for their work in promoting awareness about sexual assault1 providing information and treatment to survivors of sexual assault1 and increasing the number of successful prosecutions of perpetrators of sexual assault2 and 7,d7 public safety1 law enforcement1 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 offenders2 7#b7 the ,senate strongly recommends that national and community organizations1 businesses in the private sector1 institutions of higher education1 and the media promote1 through ,national ,sexual ,assault ,awareness and ,prevention ,month1 awareness of sexual violence and strategies to decrease the incidence of sexual assault2 and 7#c7 the ,senate supports the goals and ideals of ,national ,sexual ,assault ,awareness and ,prevention ,month4