Expressing Sense Of House With Respect To Raising Awareness And Encouraging Prevention Of Sexual Assault

Floor Speech

EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE WITH RESPECT TO RAISING AWARENESS AND ENCOURAGING PREVENTION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT -- (House of Representatives - April 23, 2007)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 289, which is intended to raise awareness of the problem of sexual assault in the United States and encourage ways to prevent it.

The statistics outlined in the resolution speak for themselves and are nothing less than horrific. A person is sexually assaulted in the United States every 2 1/2 minutes. Children and young adults are the most at risk. Forty-four percent of sexual assault victims are under the age of 18.

The emotional and physical scars from sexual assaults exact a terrible toll on our loved ones, our families, our communities, and our country. In my view, we can and we must do better. We have made important strides in this battle. We have expanded the use of DNA to solve sexual assault crimes, reduced the backlog in the testing of rape cases, and solved more sexual assault crimes, and ensuring that those who commit these heinous offense are put behind bars.

Last year, we passed the Adam Walsh Act to protect our children from sexual predators. Over 100,000 sex offenders were lost or unaccounted for by the States. The Adam Walsh Act will fix that problem and make sure that sex offenders are registered, that the public is aware of sex offenders in their communities, and help parents protect their children.

In my home State of West Virginia, domestic violence complaints have increased 400 percent since 1989. More and more, victims are feeling empowered to approach law enforcement officers with these problems. Although we all would like to see an end to domestic violence, it is a good step that more and more victims are reporting the crimes committed against them, allowing the perpetrators to be tried for their crimes. We must continue to work with victims, helping them come forward with their complaints. This can often be a difficult task, especially when the person committing the crime is a spouse, companion or family member, which is sadly often the case.

Madam Speaker, this resolution recognizes the important role that awareness and prevention can play in reducing the incidence of sexual assault. The crime of sexual assault is so hurtful and so tragic, we must redouble our efforts and make sure that we use every tool at our disposal to protect everyone from this horrible crime. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source