00        HOUSE CS FOR SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 2(2d RLS)                                                         
01 Proclaiming April 2018 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month; proclaiming April 2018 as                                     
02 Child Abuse Prevention Month; and proclaiming April 6, 2018, as Go Blue Friday.                                         
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 lifetime;                               
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 last year; and                                                                                    
04       WHEREAS 1,625 adult victims of sexual assault sought services at rape crisis centers                            
05 in the state last year; 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--have 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; last year over 3,100 volunteers devoted                       
31 48,483 hours of service in the state; and                                                                               

01       WHEREAS the state currently has one of the five highest rates of child abuse in the                             
02 United States; and                                                                                                      
03 WHEREAS taking the life of an innocent preborn child through abortion is the                                          
04 ultimate form of child abuse, and, in 2016, according to the Department of Health and Social                            
05 Services, the lives of at least 556 Alaska preborn children were taken through the State of                             
06 Alaska medical assistance and Denali KidCare programs; and                                                              
07       WHEREAS, in 2016, 75 percent of the Alaska preborn children whose lives were                                    
08 taken through abortion whose mothers were 14 years of age or younger were taken through                                 
09 the Denali KidCare program; and                                                                                         
10 WHEREAS, in fiscal year 2015, the Department of Health and Social Services,                                           
11 Office of Children's Services, received more than 40,000 allegations of harm involving tens of                          
12 thousands of children; and                                                                                              
13       WHEREAS, for every 1,000 children in the state, 42 are victims of abuse; and                                    
14 WHEREAS more than 2,000 children in the state have been removed from unsafe                                           
15 homes and placed in foster care; and                                                                                    
16 WHEREAS child abuse and neglect leave cross-generational damage resulting in                                          
17 approximately 30 percent of abused or neglected children who will grow up to abuse or                                   
18 neglect their children; and                                                                                             
19 WHEREAS 36 percent of all women in prison and 14 percent of all men in prison                                         
20 were abused or neglected as children; and                                                                               
21 WHEREAS children who experience child abuse or neglect are about nine times                                           
22 more likely to become involved in criminal activity than children who do not experience child                           
23 abuse or neglect; and                                                                                                   
24 WHEREAS the long-term effects of child abuse include improper brain formation, an                                     
25 inability to trust, low self-esteem, and an increased vulnerability to post-traumatic stress                            
26 disorder, sexually transmitted diseases, heart disease, cancer, and depression; and                                     
27 WHEREAS every child deserves a loving family, a safe home, and the opportunity to                                     
28 grow into an upstanding and responsible member of society; and                                                          
29 WHEREAS we must work together to support the efforts of all those who take                                            
30 children into their homes and hearts because the community as a whole suffers in every case                             
31 of child abuse and neglect;                                                                                             

01       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature proclaims April 2018 to be                                     
02 Sexual Assault Awareness Month and encourages all of the residents of the state to observe                              
03 Sexual Assault Awareness Month by taking action to prevent sexual violence; and be it                                   
04       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature proclaims April 2018 to                                      
05 be Child Abuse Prevention Month in the state; and be it                                                                 
06 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature proclaims April 6, 2018,                                           
07 as Go Blue Friday, a day to wear blue, the official color of prevention, and to work to keep                            
08 the state's children safe and encourages all state employees and other residents of the state to                        
09 participate; and be it                                                                                                  
10       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports and encourages                                      
11 all state employees and other residents of the state to support child abuse prevention and                              
12 education efforts.