United States SRES 693: A resolution recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

Bill Text

III
119TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION S. RES. 693
Recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault
Awareness and Prevention Month.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
APRIL 28, 2026
Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself and Mrs. SHAHEEN) submitted the following
resolution; which was considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
Recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of National
Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
Whereas the Senate is committed to the awareness, preven-
tion, and deterrence of sexual violence affecting individ-
uals in the United States;
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men experience sex-
ual or physical violence, or stalking, by an intimate part-
ner;
Whereas, according to the 2024 Child Maltreatment Report
of the Department of Health and Human Services, child
protection service agencies throughout the United States
substantiated, or found strong evidence to indicate, that
532,228 children under 18 years of age were victims of
sexual abuse or neglect that year;
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Whereas, according to the 2016/2017 National Intimate
Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 1 in 3 women and
1 in 3 men who have experienced a completed or at-
tempted rape experienced it for the first time between the
ages of 11 and 17;
Whereas sexual violence is a burden for many individuals who
serve in the Armed Forces, and the Department of De-
fense estimates that approximately 29,061 members of
the Armed Forces, including approximately 15,201
women and 13,860 men, experienced some form of con-
tact or penetrative sexual assault during 2023;
Whereas, in fiscal year 2024, the Department of Defense re-
ceived 8,195 reports of sexual assault involving members
of the Armed Forces, including 5,169 unrestricted re-
ports of sexual assault and 6,973 reports of incidents oc-
curring during military service;
Whereas sexual assault does not discriminate on any basis
and can affect any individual in the United States;
Whereas sexual violence may take many forms, including—
(1) acquaintance, stranger, spousal, and gang rape;
(2) incest;
(3) child sexual abuse;
(4) elder sexual abuse;
(5) sexual abuse and exploitation of underserved
communities;
(6) commercial sex trafficking;
(7) sexual harassment; and
(8) stalking;
Whereas studies have suggested that survivors of color face
unique challenges and more should be done to better un-
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derstand the impact of sexual violence on communities of
color;
Whereas studies have suggested that the rate at which Amer-
ican Indians and Alaska Natives experience sexual vio-
lence is significantly higher than for other populations in
the United States;
Whereas, according to the National Alliance to End Sexual
Violence, in addition to the immediate physical and emo-
tional costs, sexual assault has numerous adverse con-
sequences, which can include post-traumatic stress dis-
order, substance abuse, major depression, homelessness,
eating disorders, and suicide;
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the average cost of rape is $122,461 for each
victim over the lifetime of the victim, totaling a
$3,100,000,000,000 economic burden for survivors of
rape in the United States;
Whereas many sexual assaults are not reported to law en-
forcement agencies, and many States have restrictive
criminal statutes of limitations, which enable many per-
petrators to evade punishment for their crimes;
Whereas advances in deoxyribonucleic acid (commonly known
as ‘‘DNA’’) technology have enabled law enforcement
agencies to identify and prosecute the perpetrators in
tens of thousands of previously unsolved sexual assault
cases;
Whereas incarceration of sexual assault perpetrators can pre-
vent perpetrators from committing additional crimes;
Whereas, according to a 2023 survey by the National Alliance
to End Sexual Violence, 48 percent of rape crisis centers
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lack a therapist on staff, and 70 percent of programs had
an increased demand for services in the past year;
Whereas national, State, territorial, and Tribal coalitions,
community-based rape crisis centers, culturally specific
sexual assault organizations, and other organizations
across the United States are committed to—
(1) eliminating sexual violence through prevention
and education; and
(2) increasing public awareness of sexual violence
and the prevalence of sexual violence;
Whereas thousands of volunteers and staff at rape crisis cen-
ters, State coalitions against sexual ass