PRINTER'S NO. 1369
No. 95 Session of 1991
INTRODUCED BY STEELMAN, RITTER, ARNOLD, STETLER, STURLA,
FREEMAN, TRICH, JOSEPHS, O'BRIEN, McHUGH, MARKOSEK AND
HARLEY, APRIL 17, 1991
Introduced, April 17, 1991
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 Memorializing members of the General Assembly to recognize April
2 18, 1991, as a date to "Take Back The Night" in conjunction
3 with efforts by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, in
4 the commemoration of April as "Sexual Assault Awareness
5 Month," to end sexual violence and celebrate survival.
6 WHEREAS, To commemorate "Sexual Assault Awareness Month,"
7 rape crises centers are organizing take back the night marches,
8 rallies and vigils across this Commonwealth on April 18th; and
9 WHEREAS, The "Take Back The Night" theme originated in
10 England in 1977 when a group of women formed a march to protest
11 the violence and fear women so often encountered on the streets
12 at night; and
13 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania rape crises centers are organizing
14 "Take Back The Night" events to help raise awareness of the
15 existence of sexual violence; to proclaim that all people have a
16 rightful claim to the night without fear and pain; to protest
17 the violence women and children often experience; and to
18 celebrate survival; and
19 WHEREAS, Based on police reports, 16 rapes are attempted and
1 ten women are raped every hour; and
2 WHEREAS, Rape is the most under-reported crime; some
3 estimates conclude that as many as 80%-90% of these crimes are
4 never reported; and
5 WHEREAS, One in four girls and one in seven boys will be
6 sexually abused before reaching 18 years of age; and
7 WHEREAS, It is estimated that as many as 40 million
8 Americans, one in six persons, experienced sexual victimization
9 as children; and
10 WHEREAS, One of every four college women has been raped; and
11 WHEREAS, Forty-three percent of college men admitted to using
12 violence to get sex according to a recent survey of 6,000
13 students; and
14 WHEREAS, Ten to fourteen percent of all married women have
15 been raped by their husbands; and
16 WHEREAS, Fifty percent of women in treatment for substance
17 abuse have been sexually abused as children, most often as
18 incest and rape victims; and
19 WHEREAS, Offenders who begin their sexual victimization in
20 their teens commit an average of 380 sexual crimes by the time
21 they are caught; therefore be it
22 RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly
23 recognize the need to promote awareness of sexual violence and
24 develop appropriate actions and responses to combat such
25 violence which tears at the social and moral fabric of our
26 nation and State; and be it further
27 RESOLVED, That the General Assembly recognize the need for
28 the Commonwealth to provide hospitals, rape crises centers and
29 other domestic institutions with the necessary resources and
30 support to properly assist victims of sexual violence in dealing
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1 with and overcoming their tragedies; and be it further
2 RESOLVED, That the General Assembly recognize the need to
3 educate children and all citizens of this Commonwealth
4 concerning helpful techniques to prevent becoming victimized by
5 sexual violence, as well as providing channels of assistance to
6 help those who do become victims of sexual violence; and be it
7 further
8 RESOLVED, That the General Assembly recognize April 18, 1991,
9 as a date to "Take Back The Night" as an effort by the
10 Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, and rape crises centers
11 across this Commonwealth, to commemorate April as "Sexual
12 Assault Awareness Month"; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That the General Assembly recognize that every
14 citizen of this Commonwealth has the right to life free from the
15 fear of sexual violence whether on the streets or in their own
16 home; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That the General Assembly encourage all of its
18 members to actively participate within their local communities
19 in the events which will occur on April 18th to "Take Back The
20 Night," as well as work closely throughout the month of April
21 with rape crises centers in their districts to commemorate April
22 as "Sexual Assault Awareness Month."
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