| R 203 |
| 2015 -- H 6058 Enacted 04/09/2015 |
| 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 |
| 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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| LC002385 |
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