HR0253 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0253 LRB101 11920 MST 58984 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Sexual assault is a violent crime and has devastating safety and health implications for every person in Illinois, whether they are a victim, survivor, family member, loved one, friend, neighbor, or co-worker of a victim; and

WHEREAS, The nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) found that one out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed sexual assault in her lifetime, and one in every 33 American men have experienced an attempted or completed sexual assault in his lifetime; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ICASA) found that more than 37,000 victims of sexual violence received services from an ICASA rape crisis center in Illinois between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2015; and

WHEREAS, The data from ICASA shows that an average of 10,200 victims were served annually; 60 percent of these victims were adults and 40 percent were children aged 17 years or younger; and

WHEREAS, In addition, ICASA's rape crisis hotline responded to more than 42,000 requests from anonymous individuals for crisis intervention service during the period of 2010 through 2015 and averaged 8,500 visits per year; and

WHEREAS, End Violence Against Women International has developed a public awareness campaign entitled Start by Believing, a message that, in part, confronts the reality that many victims do not get the support they need when they do report a crime; and

WHEREAS, It is important for the State of Illinois to support this message and victims of sexual assault so that they may heal; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare April 3, 2019 as "Start by Believing Day" in the State of Illinois.