Reps. Spade, Ball, Booher, Terry Brown, Byrnes, Byrum, Caul, Constan, Cushingberry, Dean, Durhal, Espinoza, Geiss, Gonzales, Gregory, Griffin, Haase, Haines, Haugh, Rick Jones, Robert Jones, Knollenberg, Lahti, Lemmons, Liss, Lori, Marleau, Mayes, Miller, Neumann, Pearce, Polidori, Proos, Rocca, Rogers, Wayne Schmidt, Sheltrown, Valentine and Hansen offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 67.

A resolution recognizing April 2009 as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month in Michigan.

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, It is estimated by the Bureau of Justice Statistics that over 70 percent of rapes are never reported to police; and

Whereas, Only 41 percent of sexual assault victims pursue prosecution by reporting their attacks to law enforcement agencies; 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, 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, 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, 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 critical to draw state-wide and national attention to this very important issue so that citizens across the State of Michigan are educated and in a better position to prevent sexual assault; now, there for, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body recognize April 2009 Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month in Michigan.