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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
20-39
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
April 9, 2013
To declare the month of April 2013 as “Sexual Assault Awareness Month” in the District of Columbia, recognize and support healthy human development, and prevent child and adult sexual abuse.
WHEREAS, women’s organized protests against violence began in the late 1970s in England with ‘Take Back the Night’ marches;
WHEREAS, these women-only protests emerged in direct response to the violence that women encountered as they walked the streets at night;
WHEREAS, these activities became more coordinated and soon developed into a movement that extended to the United States and, in 1978, the first Take Back the Night events in the United States were held in San Francisco and New York City;
WHEREAS, sexual assault awareness activities expanded to include the issue of sexual violence against men and men’s participation in ending sexual violence;
WHEREAS, in the late 1980s, the National Coalition Against Sexual Assault informally polled state sexual assault coalitions to determine when to have a national Sexual Assault Awareness Week, which preceded of Sexual Assault Awareness Month;
WHEREAS, the month of April has been designated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in the United States and Sexual Assault Awareness Month was first observed nationally in April 2001, after the alarming statistics of sexual assaults and underreporting became more prevalent;
WHEREAS, according to the Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey, every 2 minutes, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted;
WHEREAS, each year, there are approximately 207,754 victims of sexual assault;WHEREAS, one out of every 6, or 17.7 million American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime;
WHEREAS, nearly 3 million men in the United States have been the victims of sexual assault or rape;
WHEREAS, today, 44% of sexual assault victims are under 18 years of age, and 80% of victims are under 30 years of age , with ages 12 through 34 years of age being the highest-risk years;
WHEREAS, girls ages 16 through 19 years of age are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault;
WHEREAS, victims of sexual assault are 3 times more likely to suffer from depression, 6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol, 26 times more likely to abuse drugs, and 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide;
WHEREAS, 54% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police, and 97%t of rapists will never spend a day in jail;
WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among female victims of partner violence who filed a protective order, 68% reported they were raped by their intimate partner and 20% reported a rape-related pregnancy;
WHEREAS, approximately two-thirds of assaults are committed by someone known to the victim and 38% of rapists are a friend or acquaintance; and
WHEREAS, despite these harrowing statistics, sexual assault has decreased by 60% since 1993, thanks to the awareness campaigns by organizations like Break The Cycle, the D.C. Rape Crisis Center, Collective Action for Safe Spaces, Stop Street Harassment, and Men Can Stop Rape, and historic gains made by the Violence Against Women Act and other laws passed and being enforced around the country.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Sexual Assault Awareness Month Recognition Resolution of 2013”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and supports Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and urges citizens to show their support for all victims of sexual assault and the fight against violent crimes. By working together and pooling our resources during the month of April, District residents can highlight sexual violence as a major public health, human rights and social justice issue and reinforce the need for prevention.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
