HR 43 — A Resolution recognizing the month of April 2025 as "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.   387

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 43
                                              Session of
                                                2025

     INTRODUCED BY McNEILL, MADDEN, HILL-EVANS, POWELL, SCHLOSSBERG,
        HOWARD, VENKAT, HADDOCK, SANCHEZ, KHAN AND HOHENSTEIN,
        JANUARY 29, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, JANUARY 29, 2025


                               A RESOLUTION
 1   Recognizing the month of April 2025 as "Sexual Assault Awareness
 2      Month" in Pennsylvania.
 3      WHEREAS, April is nationally recognized as "Sexual Assault
 4   Awareness Month" to call attention to the fact that sexual
 5   violence is widespread and impacts every community; and
 6      WHEREAS, April 2025 is the 24th anniversary of the first
 7   recognition of "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" in this
 8   Commonwealth; and
 9      WHEREAS, Prior to the first "Sexual Assault Awareness Month,"
10   social activists brought the realities of the prevalence of
11   sexual violence to the forefront of public perception; and
12      WHEREAS, During the civil rights era, although the realities
13   of sexual assault and domestic violence all too often went
14   unspoken, challenges to social injustices opened the door to
15   begin difficult conversations about the intersections of race-
16   based and gender-based violence; and
17      WHEREAS, The 1970s saw the establishment of the first rape
 1   crisis center in San Francisco and the first "Take Back the
 2   Night" event which protested all forms of sexual violence; and
 3      WHEREAS, The reality of sexual violence received nationwide
 4   recognition with the passage of the Violence Against Women Act
 5   in 1993; and
 6      WHEREAS, Before the first nationally observed "Sexual Assault
 7   Awareness Month" in 2001, advocates held events and observances
 8   related to sexual violence, including "Sexual Assault Awareness
 9   Week," during the month of April; and
10      WHEREAS, The National Sexual Violence Resource Center has
11   designated the 2025 theme of "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" to
12   be "Together We Act, United We Change" to recognize the
13   significant role collective action has in addressing and
14   presenting sexual abuse, assault and harassment; and
15      WHEREAS, Sexual violence, which includes rape, sexual assault
16   and sexual harassment, continues to have a deep physical and
17   emotional trauma on those who have experienced it; and
18      WHEREAS, Rape in the United States occurs more frequently
19   than the public realizes, as one in four women and one in
20   twenty-six men have experienced attempted or completed rape; and
21      WHEREAS, According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National
22   Network (RAINN), in the United States, a sexual assault occurs
23   every 68 seconds; and
24      WHEREAS, On postsecondary campuses, one in five women and one
25   in sixteen men are sexually assaulted at some point in their
26   educational career, and 90% of sexual assaults on college
27   campuses go unreported; and
28      WHEREAS, Young people experience disproportionate rates of
29   sexual violence with individuals ages 12 to 34 at the highest
30   risk for rape and sexual assault; and

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 1      WHEREAS, According to RAINN, one in nine girls and one in
 2   twenty boys experience some form of sexual violence before they
 3   turn 18 years of age; and
 4      WHEREAS, According to the American Civil Liberties Union,
 5   Black women are at a disproportionate risk of sexual violence,
 6   22% of Black women experience rape within their lifetime; and
 7      WHEREAS, The National Institute of Justice reports that
 8   Native American and Alaska Native women, at 56%, have the
 9   highest rates of rape and sexual assault; and
10      WHEREAS, According to the National Intimate Partner and
11   Sexual Violence Survey, one in five Hispanic women and 3.2% of
12   Hispanic men experience rape or sexual violence in their
13   lifetime; and
14      WHEREAS, Lesbian and bisexual women experience sexual and
15   physical violence by intimate partners at a significantly higher
16   rate compared to straight women; and
17      WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and
18   Prevention, gay and bisexual men are approximately 2% more
19   likely than their straight counterparts to report having been
20   sexually assaulted; and
21      WHEREAS, Nearly half of all transgender people experience
22   some form of sexual violence throughout their lifetime; and
23      WHEREAS, More than 90% of individuals with a developmental
24   disability experience sexual violence at least once in their
25   lifetime, and 49% experience 10 or more sexually abusive
26   incidents throughout their lives; and
27      WHEREAS, Only 27% of all incidents of sexual violence end in
28   arrest; and
29      WHEREAS, Human traffickers often use sexual violence to exert
30   control over women, children and men; and

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 1      WHEREAS, The International Labor Organization estimates that
 2   there are 6.3 million victims of human sex trafficking in the
 3   world, including 1.7 million children; and
 4      WHEREAS, According to a 2023 Department of Justice report, in
 5   2021, a total of 2,027 people were referred to United States
 6   attorneys for human trafficking offenses, a nearly 50% increase
 7   from the number of individuals referred in 2011; and
 8      WHEREAS, Over the past five years, the Administrative Office
 9   of Pennsylvania Courts have filed 809 human trafficking
10   offenses; and
11      WHEREAS, The National Human Trafficking Hotline has
12   identified 2,308 cases of human trafficking within this
13   Commonwealth since its inception in 2007, totaling 4,806
14   victims; and
15      WHEREAS, Individuals who sexually abuse others should be
16   subject to heightened criminal penalties under the laws of this
17   Commonwealth; and
18      WHEREAS, Communities can support survivors by believing their
19   stories, showing respect and championing their individual
20   support networks; and
21      WHEREAS, Individuals speaking out against inappropriate
22   jokes, offensive gestures, harmful attitudes and unwanted
23   actions make a positive impact toward ending sexual harassment,
24   abuse and assault; and
25      WHEREAS, Consent and boundaries can be violated online in a
26   number of ways; and
27      WHEREAS, Individuals can work together to make their
28   communities safer by providing prevention education and
29   increasing public awareness to avoid future harm from sexual
30   violence; therefore be it

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 1      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
 2   month of April 2025 as "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" in
 3   Pennsylvania; and be it further
 4      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
 5   24th anniversary of "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" to empower
 6   more survivors and their loved ones on their journey to help,
 7   hope and healing; and be it further
 8      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage
 9   communities to understand their role in ending sexual violence
10   in this Commonwealth and the United States; and be it further
11      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage
12   communities to commit to making a difference to ensure that
13   online platforms are safe and respectful for everyone by
14   practicing consent, keeping children safe and supporting
15   survivors.




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