2015 -- H 6058

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LC002385

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

PROCLAIMING APRIL, 2015, TO BE "SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH" IN

THE STATE F RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Representatives Ackerman, Tanzi, Fogarty, Maldonado, and Naughton

     Date Introduced: April 09, 2015

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, Each and every day of the year is an opportunity to create change for the

future; and

     WHEREAS, The goal of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) is to increase public

awareness and call attention to the facts about sexual violence prevention, the need for resources

to support survivors, and to educate communities on how to speak out against harmful attitudes

and actions, in order to help prevent sexual violence; and

     WHEREAS, This year, the focus of SAAM is preventing sexual assault on college

campuses. According to research reported by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center,

across this nation on our college campuses, one in five women and one in sixteen men are

sexually assaulted during their years in college; and

     WHEREAS, Young people experience heightened rates of sexual violence, with one in

six boys and one in four girls experiencing a sexual assault before the age of eighteen, and youth

between the ages of twelve and seventeen being 2.5 times as likely to be victims of rape or sexual

assault; and

     WHEREAS, Rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment harm our communities.

Statistics show that one in five women and one in seventy-one men will be raped at some point in

their lives. Sexual abuse prevention must be a priority; and

     WHEREAS, Citizens, government entities, and organizations, joining forces and

becoming actively involved can prevent sexual violence. The first step is increasing education,

awareness, and community involvement in order to create a safer environment for all; now,

therefore be it

      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby proclaims the month of April, 2015, to be "Sexual Assault

Awareness Month" in our state. We furthermore join Day One, a Rhode Island Sexual Assault

and Trauma resource, to urge advocates and communities across the state to take action to prevent

sexual violence; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Peg Langhammer, Executive Director of Day

One.

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