WASHINGTON – The Senate last night passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley commemorating April as National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. The Resolution, which unanimously passed the Senate, is co-sponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).
According to the FBI, nearly 80,000 rapes were reported to law enforcement in 2013. Sexual assault can take many forms, including rape, commercial sex trafficking, child sexual abuse and stalking.
“Many survivors of sexual violence suffer from severe and lasting challenges, including post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. Sadly, the traumatic experience can even lead to suicide,” Grassley said. “This resolution can help bring greater awareness to the problem of sexual assault and publicly acknowledge the survivors of such horrible events.”
Grassley’s resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month provides a special opportunity to educate the public about sexual violence, acknowledge survivors of sexual assault and commend the volunteers and professionals who assist those survivors in their efforts to heal. The resolution also applauds public safety, law enforcement and health professionals for their hard work and innovative strategies to ensure perpetrators of sexual assault are held accountable.
The United States first observed National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month on April 1, 2001.
Grassley has championed several bipartisan, anti-sexual assault measures during National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, including the Campus Accountability and Safety Act and the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which includes a sexual assault victims’ bill of rights. The Adam Walsh bill is one of 27 bipartisan bills to clear the Judiciary Committee under Grassley’s leadership. As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Grassley also led the effort to pass the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, which was signed into law on May 29, 2015, and has worked with colleagues to improve policies regarding sexual assault for government researchers and members of the military.
Full text of Grassley’s floor statement introducing the resolution can be found HERE.
Full text of the resolution is available HERE.
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