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
Recognizing the month of April 2025 as "Sexual Assault Awareness
Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, April is nationally recognized as "Sexual Assault
Awareness Month" to call attention to the fact that sexual
violence is widespread and impacts every community; and
WHEREAS, April 2025 is the 24th anniversary of the first
recognition of "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" in this
Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Prior to the first "Sexual Assault Awareness Month,"
social activists brought the realities of the prevalence of
sexual violence to the forefront of public perception; and
WHEREAS, During the civil rights era, although the realities
of sexual assault and domestic violence all too often went
unspoken, challenges to social injustices opened the door to
begin difficult conversations about the intersections of race-
based and gender-based violence; and
WHEREAS, The 1970s saw the establishment of the first rape
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17 crisis center in San Francisco and the first "Take Back the
Night" event which protested all forms of sexual violence; and
WHEREAS, The reality of sexual violence received nationwide
recognition with the passage of the Violence Against Women Act
in 1993; and
WHEREAS, Before the first nationally observed "Sexual Assault
Awareness Month" in 2001, advocates held events and observances
related to sexual violence, including "Sexual Assault Awareness
Week," during the month of April; and
WHEREAS, The National Sexual Violence Resource Center has
designated the 2025 theme of "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" to
be "Together We Act, United We Change" to recognize the
significant role collective action has in addressing and
presenting sexual abuse, assault and harassment; and
WHEREAS, Sexual violence, which includes rape, sexual assault
and sexual harassment, continues to have a deep physical and
emotional trauma on those who have experienced it; and
WHEREAS, Rape in the United States occurs more frequently
than the public realizes, as one in four women and one in
twenty-six men have experienced attempted or completed rape; and
WHEREAS, According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National
Network (RAINN), in the United States, a sexual assault occurs
every 68 seconds; and
WHEREAS, On postsecondary campuses, one in five women and one
in sixteen men are sexually assaulted at some point in their
educational career, and 90% of sexual assaults on college
campuses go unreported; and
WHEREAS, Young people experience disproportionate rates of
sexual violence with individuals ages 12 to 34 at the highest
risk for rape and sexual assault; and
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30 WHEREAS, According to RAINN, one in nine girls and one in
twenty boys experience some form of sexual violence before they
turn 18 years of age; and
WHEREAS, According to the American Civil Liberties Union,
Black women are at a disproportionate risk of sexual violence,
22% of Black women experience rape within their lifetime; and
WHEREAS, The National Institute of Justice reports that
Native American and Alaska Native women, at 56%, have the
highest rates of rape and sexual assault; and
WHEREAS, According to the National Intimate Partner and
Sexual Violence Survey, one in five Hispanic women and 3.2% of
Hispanic men experience rape or sexual violence in their
lifetime; and
WHEREAS, Lesbian and bisexual women experience sexual and
physical violence by intimate partners at a significantly higher
rate compared to straight women; and
WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, gay and bisexual men are approximately 2% more
likely than their straight counterparts to report having been
sexually assaulted; and
WHEREAS, Nearly half of all transgender people experience
some form of sexual violence throughout their lifetime; and
WHEREAS, More than 90% of individuals with a developmental
disability experience sexual violence at least once in their
lifetime, and 49% experience 10 or more sexually abusive
incidents throughout their lives; and
WHEREAS, Only 27% of all incidents of sexual violence end in
arrest; and
WHEREAS, Human traffickers often use sexual violence to exert
control over women, children and men; and
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30 WHEREAS, The International Labor Organization estimates that
there are 6.3 million victims of human sex trafficking in the
world, including 1.7 million children; and
WHEREAS, According to a 2023 Department of Justice report, in
2021, a total of 2,027 people were referred to United States
attorneys for human trafficking offenses, a nearly 50% increase
from the number of individuals referred in 2011; and
WHEREAS, Over the past five years, the Administrative Office
of Pennsylvania Courts have filed 809 human trafficking
offenses; and
WHEREAS, The National Human Trafficking Hotline has
identified 2,308 cases of human trafficking within this
Commonwealth since its inception in 2007, totaling 4,806
victims; and
WHEREAS, Individuals who sexually abuse others should be
subject to heightened criminal penalties under the laws of this
Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Communities can support survivors by believing their
stories, showing respect and championing their individual
support networks; and
WHEREAS, Individuals speaking out against inappropriate
jokes, offensive gestures, harmful attitudes and unwanted
actions make a positive impact toward ending sexual harassment,
abuse and assault; and
WHEREAS, Consent and boundaries can be violated online in a
number of ways; and
WHEREAS, Individuals can work together to make their
communities safer by providing prevention education and
increasing public awareness to avoid future harm from sexual
violence; therefore be it
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30 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
month of April 2025 as "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" in
Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
24th anniversary of "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" to empower
more survivors and their loved ones on their journey to help,
hope and healing; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage
communities to understand their role in ending sexual violence
in this Commonwealth and the United States; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage
communities to commit to making a difference to ensure that
online platforms are safe and respectful for everyone by
practicing consent, keeping children safe and supporting
survivors.
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