00                   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 2                                                                   
01 Proclaiming April 2019 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.                                                               
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03 WHEREAS sexual assault affects women, children, and men of all racial, cultural,                                      
04 and economic backgrounds and occurs through acquaintance rape, stranger rape, sexual                                    
05 assault by a partner, child sexual abuse, incest, sexual harassment, prostitution, and                                  
06 pornography; and                                                                                                        
07       WHEREAS the crime of sexual assault violates an individual's privacy, dignity,                                  
08 security, and humanity and leaves long-lasting physical and emotional scars that can influence                          
09 every aspect of an individual's life; and                                                                               
10       WHEREAS results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey show an estimated 33                                  
11 out of every 100 Alaska women have experienced sexual assault within their lifetime; and                                
12       WHEREAS results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey reflect alcohol- or                                   
13 drug-involved sexual violence dropped from 26.8 percent in the 2010 survey to 22.6 percent;                             
14 and                                                                                                                     
15       WHEREAS, despite tremendous progress, Alaska still has the highest rates of sexual                              
16 violence in the nation; and                                                                                             

01       WHEREAS, in 2016, 2,126 children were evaluated by child advocacy centers in the                              
02 state for possible sexual abuse; and                                                                                    
03       WHEREAS, in 2016, 1,625 adult victims of sexual assault sought services at rape                               
04 crisis centers in the state; and                                                                                        
05       WHEREAS it is important to recognize the compassion, commitment, and dedication                                 
06 of the individuals who provide services to sexual assault survivors and work to reduce and                              
07 eliminate sexual violence; and                                                                                          
08       WHEREAS, in 2016, 16 communities--Anchorage, Barrow, Bethel, Cordova,                                           
09 Dillingham, Eielson Air Force Base, Fairbanks, Fort Wainwright, Juneau, Kodiak, Kotzebue,                               
10 Nome, Palmer, Seward, Unalaska, and Valdez--have sexual assault response teams to                                       
11 investigate more effectively crimes of sexual violence; and                                                             
12 WHEREAS research indicates the need to develop comprehensive sexual violence                                          
13 prevention programs that target multiple, interacting risk and protective factors in                                    
14 behaviorally relevant ways; and                                                                                         
15 WHEREAS communities across the state are taking up the challenge, implementing                                        
16 evidence-based prevention programs, such as Girls on the Run, Coaching Boys into Men, and                               
17 Green Dot Alaska; and                                                                                                   
18 WHEREAS, because one person, organization, agency, or community cannot, by                                            
19 itself, eliminate sexual violence, the citizens of Alaska need to work together to educate the                          
20 entire population of the state about what can be done to eliminate sexual assault; and                                  
21 WHEREAS schools across the state are implementing the Fourth R-healthy                                                
22 relationships curriculum in grades seven through nine, which has been shown to reduce                                   
23 adherence to rape myths and to enhance social and emotional learning focusing on self-                                  
24 management and responsible decision-making; and                                                                         
25 WHEREAS positive healthy male role models are engaging boys through programs                                          
26 such as COMPASS to explore and adopt concepts of masculinity that include respect for                                   
27 women and nonviolent models of manhood; and                                                                             
28 WHEREAS victims, survivors, and their families deserve support; by uniting in this                                    
29 effort, the citizens of this state can make a difference; in 2016, over 3,100 volunteers devoted                        
30 48,483 hours of service in the state;                                                                                   
31 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature proclaims the month of                                               

01 April 2019 to be Sexual Assault Awareness Month and encourages all of the residents of the                              
02 state to observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month by taking action to prevent sexual violence.