Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to raising awareness and encouraging prevention of sexual assault in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 289) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to raising awareness and encouraging prevention of sexual assault in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, H. Res. 289 recognizes April as National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. The purpose of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month is to increase the public's awareness and understanding about sexual violence in our society in order to encourage and support prevention of sexual assault.

The United States has the highest rate of any country publishing such statistics. A person is sexually assaulted in the United States every 2\1/2\ minutes. The National Institute of Justice estimates that over 300,000 women and 90,000 men are forcibly raped each

year in the United States; but according to the American Medical Association, these numbers are lower than national incidents of rape or attempted rape.

Approximately 17.7 million American women and 2.8 American men have been victims of rape or attempted rape at some point during their lives, according to the Bureau of Justice statistics. That equates to one in every six women and one in every 33 men. The National Center for Victims of Crime indicate that among women who have been raped, 39 percent have been raped more than once. Most victims are children or young adults. Some 44 percent of sexual assault victims are under the age of 18; 80 percent are under the age of 30.

There are no significant differences in the rate of sexual assault among racial and ethnic groups, as sexual assault affects all populations roughly equally, though its impact is felt disproportionately by those least able to protect themselves. For example, persons with disabilities are estimated to be one and a half to five times more at risk of sexual assault than the general population. Between one-third and two-thirds of known sexual assault victims are age 15 or younger, according to a 2000 study by Population Reports, and women age 16 to 25 are three times more likely to be raped than those of higher age groups, according to the Bureau of Justice statistics. Also, the studies indicate that those in extreme poverty are twice as likely to be victimized as other women.

Most sexual assaults are not committed by strangers. Studies show that 70 percent of victims know their attackers, and this contributes to the underreporting of sexual assault. At the same time, studies show that 90 percent of those who knew their attackers did not report the crime. The study also found that most sexual assaults occur in the victim's home or that of a friend, relative, or acquaintance.

The consequences of sexual assault for victims are enormous and go well beyond physical effects. One-third of victims suffer from post- traumatic stress disorder, according to the National Victims Center; one-third seriously consider suicide; 13 percent actually attempt suicide.

The roots of sexual assault violence are cultural. A 1991 study by the Jacqueline White and John Humphrey study found that 56 percent of high school girls and 76 percent of high school boys thought that forcible sex was acceptable under some circumstances. Some 51 percent of boys and 41 percent of girls thought that certain circumstances included when a boy ``spent a lot of money on the girl.'' Thirty-one percent of boys and 32 percent of girls thought that forced sex was acceptable when women had had past sexual experiences. Eighty-seven percent of boys and 79 percent of girls thought it was acceptable when a man and woman were married. Sixty-five percent of boys, 47 percent of girls thought it acceptable if a boy and a girl had been dating for more than 6 months.

So, Madam Speaker, it is easy to see where there is need to focus much of our awareness and prevention efforts.

Sexual assault is a threat to the public health and public safety. It demands a coordinated response in the form of awareness, prevention, aggressive prosecution and service provision. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center, a project of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, estimates that there are 1,400 community crisis centers providing services to victims of sexual assault across the country. Such efforts have made a difference. Over the past decade, we have reduced the rate of rapes and attempted rapes by half. Yet at half, our highest level, we are still the highest rate of sexual assault in the world. So much more needs to be done to further address the scourge in our society.

So, Madam Speaker, as we observe National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, it is our hope that a month of intensified awareness efforts combined with a broad spectrum of sexual violence prevention work throughout the year will bring us closer to ending and eradicating sexual assault in our society. Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the author of the resolution, my distinguished colleague from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume just to thank my colleague from Virginia for introducing the resolution and to urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend from Virginia for yielding to me.

As the sponsor of this legislation, I also want to thank the Democratic leadership for bringing it to the floor, because, Madam Speaker, sexual violence is an epidemic in this country, it is a threat to our public health and our public safety that demands our attention. One in six women and one in 33 men in the United States will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime. This is the highest rate of any country publishing statistics on sexual assault. A woman is raped in this country every 2\1/2\ minutes. We must do more to stop that. Responding to sexual assault must start with prevention.

The roots of sexual violence are cultural. A study of American high school students found that the majority of girls and three-quarters of boys thought that forced sex was acceptable under some circumstances, including when a woman had had past sexual experiences or when a boy spent a lot of money on the girl. Statistics like this make it tragically unsurprising that 70 percent of assaults are perpetrated by someone that is known by the victim.

Fifty-five percent of rapes, the majority of rapes, occur in the home of the victim or a friend, relative or acquaintance.

We must begin with prevention, because the consequences of sexual violence are so severe and because it is a crime whose impact is felt disproportionately by those least able to protect themselves: the young, the disabled,

the impoverished. In addition to suffering the physical effects of these terrible acts of violence, a third of victims suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder, a third seriously consider suicide, and 13 percent actually attempt it. While we hope and work for a day when sexual violence might be eradicated completely from our society, we must also deal with the consequences of these crimes, working to provide assistance to victims and aggressively prosecuting offenders.

National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month is dedicated to increasing the public's understanding about sexual violence in our society. This effort can help communities support rape and sexual assault survivors, victims and their families, as well as the individuals and agencies that provide rape crisis intervention and prevention services throughout the year.

More than 1,000 rape crisis centers nationwide educate their communities about the prevention of sexual violence and provide services to victims. In Virginia, for example, these centers serve approximately 3,000 victims of rape every year. In my district, the SARA Program at the Alexandria Office on Women supports survivors throughout their healing process, through hotline counseling and support groups and innovative programs like ``Living Out Loud,'' a performing arts program for survivors of sexual violence looking to find new joy in life after recovering from rape or sexual assault. The person who founded that is an inspiration to everyone and brings back lives that have been so profoundly and adversely affected by this experience.

Madam Speaker, National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month is a chance for us to pause and consider the enormity of the impact of these crimes on our society and the status of our efforts to end it. I commend these public health, social services, and law enforcement professionals working in our communities to respond to sexual violence and those educators and advocates working to prevent it, and I encourage my colleagues to stand with us in rededicating ourselves to efforts to end these crimes on our streets, in our schools and in our lives.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 289, which is intended to raise awareness of the problem of sexual assault in the United States and encourage ways to prevent it.

The statistics outlined in the resolution speak for themselves and are nothing less than horrific. A person is sexually assaulted in the United States every 2\1/2\ minutes. Children and young adults are the most at risk. Forty-four percent of sexual assault victims are under the age of 18.

The emotional and physical scars from sexual assaults exact a terrible toll on our loved ones, our families, our communities, and our country. In my view, we can and we must do better. We have made important strides in this battle. We have expanded the use of DNA to solve sexual assault crimes, reduced the backlog in the testing of rape cases, and solved more sexual assault crimes, and ensuring that those who commit these heinous offense are put behind bars.

Last year, we passed the Adam Walsh Act to protect our children from sexual predators. Over 100,000 sex offenders were lost or unaccounted for by the States. The Adam Walsh Act will fix that problem and make sure that sex offenders are registered, that the public is aware of sex offenders in their communities, and help parents protect their children.

In my home State of West Virginia, domestic violence complaints have increased 400 percent since 1989. More and more, victims are feeling empowered to approach law enforcement officers with these problems. Although we all would like to see an end to domestic violence, it is a good step that more and more victims are reporting the crimes committed against them, allowing the perpetrators to be tried for their crimes. We must continue to work with victims, helping them come forward with their complaints. This can often be a difficult task, especially when the person committing the crime is a spouse, companion or family member, which is sadly often the case.

Madam Speaker, this resolution recognizes the important role that awareness and prevention can play in reducing the incidence of sexual assault. The crime of sexual assault is so hurtful and so tragic, we must redouble our efforts and make sure that we use every tool at our disposal to protect everyone from this horrible crime. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I would like to close with a strong statement that this resolution recognizes the important role of awareness in prevention of sexual assault in this country. It is a scourge on our Nation, it is a scourge on our young people, our women and other victims, and I urge all Members to join together to pass this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 289, to raise awareness and encourage prevention of sexual assault in the United States and support the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

Violence against women--rape, sexual assault and domestic violence-- affects women worldwide. Violence not only affects women in the home, but in the workplace, school and every arena of life. Having served as Johnson Country District Attorney for 12 years, I know first hand the devastating consequences of domestic and sexual violence, assault, rape and child abuse and incest. Those experiences encouraged me to become a cofounder of SAFEHOME, a local shelter for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, and highlighted the importance of public awareness, effective prevention policies and law enforcement working hand in hand to stop these horrific crimes.

Sexual assault is an epidemic that knows no boundaries on the basis of age, socioeconomic status, race, religion, nationality or educational background. My home State of Kansas is no exception. In 2005, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation reported over 1,000 reported incidents of rape. And that number cannot possibly reflect the harsh reality of how many incidents occurred but were not reported. The tragedy of injustice exacerbates the victimization.

A person is sexually assaulted in the United States every two-and-a- half minutes; 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men have been victims of rape or attempted rape.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month is essential to bring attention to this problem, educate the public, and help protect survivors from future victimization and prevent the continuation of the cycle of violence from generation to generation. Protecting and helping survivors, as well as creating an environment where survivors can seek justice, is the key to removing sex offenders from public, so that they do not have the opportunity to assault again.

I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 289, in support of the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, to support programs to help survivors heal and prevent incidents in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 289, which expresses the ``sense of the House of Representatives with respect to raising awareness and encouraging prevention of sexual assault in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

I was the lead Democratic sponsor of the original legislation, introduced by former Representative Mark Green and signed into law in 2003, that designated April as National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

While we are taking the time today to highlight this important issue, it is important that we remember that preventing sexual assault should be a top priority during each month of the year. We must also remember that violence against women is not just a women's issue, it is a men's issue, too.

Every 2\1/2\ minutes, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted. I have long been a champion of increased efforts to prevent violence against women and in 2004, legislation that I first introduced, ``The Debbie Smith Act,'' was signed into law. Through this landmark act, we have the ability to protect our daughters, our sisters, and our friends by putting rapists behind bars through DNA evidence. We know that DNA evidence is better than a fresh set of fingerprints. And we know that it is often better than eyewitness testimony. With ``The Debbie Smith Act,'' the hundreds of thousands of rape kits that were gathering dust across the country are finally being processed.

It is vitally important that we support the Violence Against Women Act by fully funding the important programs that will help women escape abusive and dangerous situations and begin new lives that are free from violence and fear. The organizations, shelters, and counseling centers that are on the front lines of this problem need our steadfast commitment that they will have the resources to continue their important work.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.