BILL NUMBER: SCR 39	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Alquist
   (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Chu)
   (Coauthors: Senators Bowen, Ducheny, Escutia, Kuehl, Ortiz,
Romero, Soto, and Speier)
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Berg, Cohn, Daucher, Evans, Goldberg,
Karnette, Liu, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza, Parra, Pavley, Sharon
Runner, and Saldana)

                        APRIL 6, 2005

   Relative to Sexual Assault Awareness Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 39, as introduced, Alquist.  Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
   This measure would resolve that the month of April be designated
henceforth as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
   Fiscal committee: no.




   WHEREAS, The American Medical Association has stated that a "woman
is raped every 46 seconds in the United States" and that sexual
assault is a "silent epidemic"; and
   WHEREAS, In California, there were 9,918 forcible rapes reported
in 2003; and
   WHEREAS, It is estimated by the Bureau of Justice Statistics that
over 70 percent of rapes are never reported to police; and
   WHEREAS, Sixty‑seven percent of all victims of sexual
assault reported to law enforcement agencies were under 18 years of
age, and 34 percent of all victims were under 12 years of age; and
   WHEREAS, One of every seven victims of sexual assault reported to
law enforcement agencies were under six years of age, and 40 percent
of the offenders who victimized children under six years of age were
under 18 years of age; and
   WHEREAS, Women, children, and men are all victims of sexual
assault and it is estimated that one in three women, one in four
girls, one in six boys, and one in 11 men will be victims at least
once in their lifetimes; and
   WHEREAS, Rape and sexual assault impacts women, children, and men
of all racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds; and
   WHEREAS, Women, children, and men suffer multiple types of sexual
violence, including acquaintance rape, stranger rape, sexual assault
by an intimate partner, gang rape, incest, stalking, serial rape,
ritual abuse, sexual harassment, child sexual molestation,
prostitution, pornography, and stalking; and
   WHEREAS, In addition to the immediate physical and emotional
costs, sexual assault may also have associated severe and
long-lasting consequences of posttraumatic stress disorder, substance
abuse, major depression, homelessness, eating disorders, and
suicide; and
   WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have
identified sexual assault as a significant, costly, and preventable
health issue; and
   WHEREAS, Women, children, and men in our state have the right to
be safe from sexual violence in their homes, at school, at work, and
on the streets; and
   WHEREAS, It is our responsibility to support rape survivors by
treating them with dignity, compassion, and respect; and
   WHEREAS, It is crucially important to hold perpetrators
responsible for sexual attacks, and to prevent sexual violence at
every opportunity; and
   WHEREAS, A coalition of rape crisis centers, known as the
California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, has emerged to directly
confront this crisis with the cooperation of law enforcement
agencies, churches, health care providers, and other helping
professionals from California's diverse communities; and
   WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the compassion and
dedication of the individuals involved in this effort, applaud their
commitment, and increase public understanding of this significant
problem; and
   WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the strength, courage, and
challenges of the victims and survivors of sexual assault and their
families and friends as they struggle to cope with the reality of
sexual assault; and
   WHEREAS, It is important to recognize that not all victims of
sexual assault survive, either at the time of the assault or later,
due to the horrific long-term trauma that sexual assault often
inflicts upon victims; and
   WHEREAS, There are rape prevention and education efforts underway
throughout California to challenge the societal myths and behaviors
that perpetuate rape and to engage communities in a common goal of
ending sexual assault; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That, henceforth, the month of April shall be
designated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the President of the United States, to the
Governor, to the Director of the United States Justice Department's
Office for Victims of Crime, and to each Senator and Representative
from California in the Congress of the United States.