PRINTER'S NO. 1595
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
299
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY TARTAGLIONE, DINNIMAN, SABATINA, FONTANA, BAKER,
KILLION, ARGALL, SCHWANK, HUGHES, FARNESE, BLAKE, BARTOLOTTA,
BREWSTER, BROWNE, FOLMER, BOSCOLA, RAFFERTY, STREET, AUMENT,
HUTCHINSON, GREENLEAF, COSTA, MENSCH AND VULAKOVICH,
MARCH 26, 2018
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, MARCH 26, 2018
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of April 2018 as "Sexual Assault Awareness
Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Widespread public awareness is the first step in
addressing sexual assault and its prevention; and
WHEREAS, According to the National Sexual Violence Resource
Center, one in five women and one in seventy-one men will be
raped at some point in their lives; and
WHEREAS, Of those, nearly 80% of women were raped before 25
years of age, with 40% experiencing their first rape between the
ages of 11 and 17, and 28% of men were first raped before their
10th birthday; and
WHEREAS, Forty-four percent of women and 23% of men
experienced other forms of sexual violence during their lives,
including sexual coercion, unwanted sexual contact and other
noncontact sexual experiences; and
WHEREAS, Most victims of sexual assault are acquainted with
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
their assailants; and
WHEREAS, Young people experience heightened rates of sexual
violence; and
WHEREAS, One in four girls and one in six boys will be
sexually abused before reaching 18 years of age; and
WHEREAS, Being the victim of child sexual abuse doubles the
likelihood of adult sexual victimization; and
WHEREAS, Sexual assault is a significant problem; and
WHEREAS, One in five women and one in sixteen men are
sexually assaulted during their time in college; and
WHEREAS, Sexual assault can have lasting, harmful effects on
survivors and their loved ones in our communities; and
WHEREAS, To preserve the safety and welfare of our fellow
citizens, we must confront harmful attitudes and actions; and
WHEREAS, To help the individual and social progress of our
fellow citizens, we must support survivors of sexual assault in
times of crisis and throughout their recovery; and
WHEREAS, To generate a comprehensive response to sexual
violence, we must highlight sexual assault prevention
initiatives, bolster criminal justice programs and commit to
breaking cycles of violence and reducing crime rates in our
communities; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR) and a
network of 50 rape crisis centers partner with community members
to prevent sexual violence throughout this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention to operate the National Sexual Violence Resource
Center, PCAR develops and provides evidence-based prevention
programs, based on the principles of effective prevention; and
WHEREAS, The strategies are critical to the health of our
20180SR0299PN1595 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
major social systems, such as schools, child care agencies,
workplaces, athletics, health care, legal systems and others to
move upstream and stop sexual violence before it occurs; and
WHEREAS, The 2018 Sexual Assault Awareness Month campaign is
focusing on resources related to campus sexual violence
prevention to create a culture on college campuses of prevention
and effective, trauma-informed response; and
WHEREAS, The campaign theme for 2018, "Embrace Your Voice,"
encourages every person to use their voice to speak out against
sexual violence and find ways to prevent sexual violence in
their roles and communities; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of April 2018
as "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
20180SR0299PN1595 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13