title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING APRIL AS NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH AND APRIL 30, 2025, AS "DENIM DAY"
WHEREAS, April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month; and
WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over half of women and nearly 1 in 3 men in the U.S. have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetimes; and
WHEREAS, more than 4 in 5 female rape survivors reported being first raped before age 25, with almost half being first raped as minors; and
WHEREAS, the CDC states that 47% of transgender individuals experience sexual violence; and
WHEREAS, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) reports that, on average, there are 433,648 victims of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States; and
WHEREAS, RAINN data indicates that every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted, and every 9 minutes, that victim is a child; and
WHEREAS, RAINN states that only 310 out of every 1,000 rapes are reported, only 50 of every 1,000 rapes lead to arrest, and only 25 of every 1,000 lead to conviction in the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, RAINN also notes that 7 out of 10 rapes are committed by someone known to the victim, and 82% of sexual assaults by a friend or acquaintance go unreported; and
WHEREAS, among graduate and professional students, 9.7% of females and 2.5% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation; and
WHEREAS, the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence (NCDSV) reports that 15,000-19,000 individuals with developmental disabilities are raped each year in the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, individuals who experience sexual assault are three times more likely to suffer from depression, six times more likely to develop PTSD, thirteen times more prone to alcohol abuse, twenty-six times more likely to abuse drugs, and four times more likely to contemplate suicide; and
WHEREAS, among undergraduate...
Click here for full text