00                   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 6                                                                   
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 of our mothers, daughters, sisters, or wives will, at some time                             
07 in her life, experience sexual assault brought upon her; and                                                            
08       WHEREAS the incidence of rape in Alaska has increased over the past year and is                                 
09 2.4 times the national average; only one in eight rapes is reported, making rape the most                               
10 underreported of all violent crimes; and                                                                                
11       WHEREAS the division of family and youth services received 1,859 reports of child                               
12 sexual abuse last year alone; and                                                                                       
13       WHEREAS these statistics do not include the countless numbers of family members,                                
14 loved ones, coworkers, and neighbors affected by the devastating crime of sexual assault; and                           
15       WHEREAS child sexual abuse often results in exceptional trauma to the victims and                               
16 in the loss of their childhood innocence; and                                                                           

01       WHEREAS many Alaska residents work to provide quality services and assistance to                                
02 sexual assault survivors; dedicated volunteers and professionals respond to emergency calls                             
03 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, offering support, comfort, and advocacy throughout all stages                          
04 of the recovery process, including medical examinations and criminal proceedings; and                                   
05       WHEREAS it is vitally important that residents of Alaska continue to discuss sexual                             
06 assault and its effects; and                                                                                            
07       WHEREAS it is our goal to improve Alaska's response to sexual assault and to                                    
08 support and enhance educational efforts to provide information about sexual assault and the                             
09 services available to victim survivors and their loved ones; and                                                        
10       WHEREAS Alaska's first Statewide Sexual Violence Prevention Conference, to be                                   
11 held in September 2001, will benefit from the awareness brought about by Sexual Assault                                 
12 Awareness Month;                                                                                                        
13       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the                                      
14 governor to proclaim April 2001 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month; and be it                                            
15       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges schools, community                                     
16 organizations, and other public and private agencies and individuals to observe Sexual Assault                          
17 Awareness Month with suitable activities that increase the public's awareness of the                                    
18 prevalence of sexual assault and how it can be combatted.