00            CS FOR HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 7(HES) am                                                            
01 Relating to proclaiming April 2001 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.                                                   
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS sexual assault is one of the most devastating crimes in society today; and                              
04       WHEREAS Alaska has the highest per capita occurrence of sexual assault in the                                   
05 nation; and                                                                                                             
06       WHEREAS one in four women in America will experience sexual assault at some                                     
07 time in their lives; and                                                                                                
08       WHEREAS one out of six males will be sexually assaulted by 18 years of age; and                                 
09       WHEREAS rape is a significant problem in our prison system; and                                                 
10       WHEREAS the incidence of rape in Alaska has increased over the past year and is                                 
11 2.4 times the national average; only one in eight rapes are reported, making rape the most                              
12 underreported of all violent crimes; and                                                                                
13       WHEREAS the division of family and youth services received 1,859 reports of child                               
14 sexual abuse last year alone; and                                                                                       
15       WHEREAS child sexual abuse often results in exceptional trauma to the victims and                               
16 in the loss of their childhood; and                                                                                     

01       WHEREAS these statistics do not include the countless numbers of family members,                                
02 loved ones, coworkers, and neighbors affected by the devastating crime of sexual assault; and                           
03       WHEREAS many residents of Alaska work to provide quality services and assistance                                
04 to sexual assault survivors; dedicated volunteers and professionals respond to emergency calls                          
05 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, offering support, comfort, and advocacy throughout all stages                          
06 of the recovery process, including medical examinations and criminal proceedings; and                                   
07       WHEREAS it is vitally important that residents of Alaska continue to discuss sexual                             
08 assault and its effects on our communities; and                                                                         
09       WHEREAS it would be our goal to improve Alaska's response to sexual assault and                                 
10 to support and enhance educational efforts to provide information about sexual assault and the                          
11 services available to victim survivors and their loved ones; and                                                        
12       WHEREAS Alaska's Statewide Sexual Violence Prevention Conference, to be held                                    
13 this September, will benefit from the awareness brought about by Sexual Assault Awareness                               
14 Month;                                                                                                                  
15       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the                                      
16 governor to proclaim the month of April 2001 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month; and be it                               
17       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges schools, community                                     
18 organizations, and other public and private agencies and individuals to observe Sexual Assault                          
19 Awareness Month with suitable activities that increase the public's awareness of the                                    
20 prevalence of sexual assault in Alaska.