HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

68

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

Recognizing April as Sexual assault awareness and prevention month.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, sexual assault affects women, men, and children of all racial, social, religious, age, ethnic, and economic groups in the United States; and

 

     WHEREAS, on average, a person is sexually assaulted in the United States every two and a half minutes; and

 

     WHEREAS, one in six women and one in 33 men have been the victim of rape or attempted rape; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Defense received 2,688 reports of sexual assault involving members of the Armed Forces in fiscal year 2007; and

 

     WHEREAS, the rate of reported forcible rape, including assaults and attempts to commit rape by force in the State of Hawaii increased 3.9 percent from 2006 to 2007; and

 

     WHEREAS, only 41 percent of sexual assault victims pursue prosecution by reporting their attacks to law enforcement agencies; and

 

     WHEREAS, sexual assault survivors suffer emotional scars long after the physical scars have healed; and

 

     WHEREAS, prevention education programs carried out by rape crisis and women's health centers have the potential to reduce the prevalence of sexual assault in their communities; now, therefore,


     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the Senate concurring, that April is recognized as "Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month"; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the month of April will provide a special opportunity to educate the people of Hawaii about sexual violence and to encourage the prevention of sexual assault, the improved treatment of its survivors, and the prosecution of its perpetrators; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that community organizations and private sector supporters should be recognized and applauded for their work in promoting awareness about sexual assault, and providing information and treatment to its survivors; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature encourages community organizations, businesses in the private sector, colleges and universities, and the media to promote, through "Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month," awareness of sexual violence and strategies to decrease the incidence of sexual assault; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Human Services and the Executive Director of the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month