00 Enrolled SCR 17                                                                                                         
01 Proclaiming April 2018 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.                                                               
02                                         _______________                                                                 
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                             
04      WHEREAS sexual assault affects women, children, and men of all racial, cultural,                                   
05 and economic backgrounds and occurs through acquaintance rape, stranger rape, sexual                                    
06 assault by a partner, child sexual abuse, incest, sexual harassment, prostitution, and                                  
07 pornography; and                                                                                                        
08      WHEREAS the crime of sexual assault violates an individual's privacy, dignity,                                     
09 security, and humanity and leaves long-lasting physical and emotional scars that can influence                          
10 every aspect of an individual's life; and                                                                               
11      WHEREAS results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey show an estimated                                        
12 33.1 out of every 100 Alaska women have experienced sexual assault within their lifetimes;                              
13 and                                                                                                                     
14      WHEREAS results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey reflect alcohol- or                                      
15 drug-involved sexual violence dropped from 26.8 percent in the 2010 survey to 22.6 percent;                             
16 and                                                                                                                     
17      WHEREAS, despite tremendous progress, Alaska still has the highest rates of sexual                                 
01 violence in the nation; and                                                                                             
02      WHEREAS 2,126 children were evaluated by child advocacy centers in the state for                                   
03 possible sexual abuse in 2016; and                                                                                      
04      WHEREAS 1,625 adult victims of sexual assault sought services at rape crisis centers                               
05 in the state in 2016; and                                                                                               
06      WHEREAS it is important to recognize the compassion, commitment, and dedication                                    
07 of the individuals who provide services to sexual assault survivors and work to reduce and                              
08 eliminate sexual violence; and                                                                                          
09      WHEREAS, in 2016, 16 communities--Anchorage, Barrow, Bethel, Cordova,                                              
10 Dillingham, Eielson Air Force Base, Fairbanks, Fort Wainwright, Juneau, Kodiak, Kotzebue,                               
11 Nome, Palmer, Seward, Unalaska, and Valdez--had sexual assault response teams to                                        
12 investigate more effectively crimes of sexual violence; and                                                             
13      WHEREAS research indicates the need to develop comprehensive sexual violence                                       
14 prevention programs that target multiple, interacting risk and protective factors in                                    
15 behaviorally relevant ways; and                                                                                         
16      WHEREAS communities across the state are taking up the challenge, implementing                                     
17 evidence-based prevention programs, such as Girls on the Run, Coaching Boys into Men, and                               
18 Green Dot Alaska; and                                                                                                   
19      WHEREAS, because one person, organization, agency, or community cannot, by                                         
20 itself, eliminate sexual violence, the citizens of Alaska need to work together to educate the                          
21 entire population of the state about what can be done to eliminate sexual assault; and                                  
22      WHEREAS schools across the state are implementing the Fourth R-healthy                                             
23 relationships curriculum in grades seven through nine, which has been shown to reduce                                   
24 adherence to rape myths and to enhance social and emotional learning focusing on self-                                  
25 management and responsible decision making; and                                                                         
26      WHEREAS positive healthy male role models are engaging boys through programs                                       
27 such as COMPASS to explore and adopt concepts of masculinity that include respect for                                   
28 women and nonviolent models of manhood; and                                                                             
29      WHEREAS victims, survivors, and their families deserve support; by uniting in this                                 
30 effort, the citizens of this state can make a difference; in 2016, over 3,100 volunteers devoted                        
31 48,483 hours of service in the state;                                                                                   
01      BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature proclaims the month of                                            
02 April 2018 to be Sexual Assault Awareness Month and encourages all of the residents of the                              
03 state to observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month by taking action to prevent sexual violence.