On May 7, the House Judiciary Committee approved, by voice vote, a resolution (S. J. Res. 8) in recognition of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, expressing support for raising awareness and encouraging the prevention of sexual assault in the United States. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the measure by voice vote on April 10 (see The Source, 4/11/03). The measure is now ready for action by the full House.
Sponsored by Sens. Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Joe Biden (D-DE), the resolution notes that more than 20 million individuals have survived sexual assault and that survivors, volunteers, and professionals who work to combat sexual assault should be saluted for their work. Although the rate of sexual assaults has decreased in the last ten years, according to the resolution, an individual is sexually assaulted in the United States every two minutes.
In light of those statistics, the resolution urges “national and community organizations, businesses in the private sector, and the media to promote, through National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, awareness of sexual violence and strategies to decrease the incidence of sexual assault.”
