03/20/2007 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

             HCR  3-SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCGUIRE announced the consideration of HCR 3.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SUZANNE CUNNINGHAM, Staff to  Representative Kevin Meyer, sponsor                                                               
of HCR  3, said  this resolution proclaims  April 2007  as Sexual                                                               
Assault Awareness Month.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:58:34 AM                                                                                                                    
MS.  CUNNINGHAM said  sexual  assault is  a  difficult topic  but                                                               
given the  status of this crime  in Alaska, it deserves  to be at                                                               
the  forefront. The  resolution recognizes  the need  for greater                                                               
awareness,  prevention and  education.  By  observing the  month,                                                               
schools, state  agencies, and individuals are  encouraged to seek                                                               
out  or  sponsor activities  to  increase  public awareness.  The                                                               
sexual assault statistics  provide a sobering reality.  It is one                                                               
of the most violent and  underreported crimes in Alaska. Alaska's                                                               
forcible  rape  rate  is  2.5  times  higher  than  the  national                                                               
average, and  child sexual  assault is six  times higher.  A 2006                                                               
opinion  poll  found  that  75   percent  of  those  polled  have                                                               
experienced  or   know  someone  who  has   experienced  domestic                                                               
violence or sexual  assault. Over the past  years the legislature                                                               
has  made laws  tougher. There  is a  need to  work with  service                                                               
providers  and agencies  to increase  awareness and  services for                                                               
victims.  She  said  HCR  3   seeks  to  support  sexual  assault                                                               
survivors and their loved ones  and advocate for increased public                                                               
safety and victim rights.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
10:00:25 AM                                                                                                                   
SENATOR BUNDE said the legislature  worked on revisions to sexual                                                               
assault laws  last year, and a  reporter called him and  said the                                                               
judicial  council reported  that the  recidivism rate  for sexual                                                               
assault is way  down. The unspoken question was why  get so tough                                                               
on sex  crimes because of  that. He  said he rejected  such logic                                                               
because the crime is so underreported. He asked for comments.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS. CUNNINGHAM said Representative Meyer  has served on the board                                                               
of Standing  Together against Rape  and has worked on  this issue                                                               
since becoming  elected. She thinks  he would say that  one crime                                                               
is enough. Interpersonal violence is devastating, she stated.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
10:02:17 AM                                                                                                                   
CHRIS  ASHENBRENNER, Interim  Program  Administrator, Council  on                                                               
Domestic Violence  and Sexual Assault,  said she hasn't  read the                                                               
aforementioned  report  but  quoted  Representative  Fairclough's                                                               
response. "Sex  offenders get smarter after  they're caught." She                                                               
noted that the  report only looked back four  years. She recalled                                                               
a  conversation with  a woman  who  was assaulted  by her  uncle.                                                               
Reporting  the crime  disrupted  her family,  her  aunt could  no                                                               
longer support herself because the man  was sent to jail, and the                                                               
whole village was  mad at her. When the man  returned and started                                                               
offending her  again, she never  told. The resolution is  the key                                                               
to  getting the  statistics lowered.  "We  have to  get out  into                                                               
those schools; we  have to talk to the children;  we have to talk                                                               
to the communities  to get to the point where  when that child in                                                               
that community tells that her uncle is raping her, there isn't a                                                                
person in that community that doesn't censor that behavior." She                                                                
said this resolution is part of the whole puzzle.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEVENS moved HCR 3 from committee with individual                                                                      
recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). Hearing no                                                                         
objection, it was so ordered.