National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, 2009

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Part IV

The President

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Proclamation 8359--National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, 2009

Executive Order 13507--Establishment of the White House Office of
Health Reform

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8359 of April 8, 2009

National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, 2009

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Sexual assault scars the lives of millions in the
United States. To increase awareness about this issue,
prevent future crimes, and aid victims, this month we
mark National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Sexual assault is pervasive in the United States. Study
after study has shown that this crime impacts people at
all age levels and in every part of this Nation. One
recent study found that 18 percent of women in this
country have been raped in their lifetime. In addition,
rates of sexual assault remain startlingly high for
students from high school to college. A 2005 survey of
high school students found that 10.8 percent of girls
and 4.2 percent of boys from grades nine to twelve were
forced to have sexual intercourse at some time in their
lives. A study of college women found that 13.7 percent
of undergraduate women had been victims of at least one
completed sexual assault since entering college. Unlike
victims of sexual assault in the larger community,
students victimized by other students often face
additional challenges in a ``closed'' campus
environment. For example, a victim may continue to live
in danger if the perpetrator resides in the same
dormitory or attends the same classes. These statistics
are all the more alarming given that, according to
recent research, a majority of victims do not report
their attacks to police.

Victims of all ages suffer from both the physical and
emotional consequences of the attack. Sexual assault
can lead to long-term health problems including chronic
pain, stomach problems, and sexually transmitted
diseases. It can also cause severe emotional harm that
may be even more painful than the assault itself and
resulting physical injuries. The effects of sexual
assault go well beyond the direct victim: sexual
assault also has a profound impact on a victim's
family, friends, neighbors, and workplace.

Victims need an array of services to heal from the
trauma of sexual assault, including crisis
intervention, 24-hour sexual assault hotlines, medical
and criminal justice accompaniment, advocacy, and
counseling. Victim service providers are essential to
this effort and work tirelessly to help victims cope
with the trauma of sexual assault and transition from
``victim'' to ``survivor.''

Landmark legislation has helped fund these critical
services. The Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA,
Public Law 98-473) established the Crime Victims Fund
to fund services such as forensic sexual assault
examinations and compensation claims for both adult and
child victims. For example, since 1997, VOCA funding
has supported the development of Sexual Assault Nurse
Examiner (SANE) programs and multi-disciplinary Sexual
Assault Response Teams (SART). The Violence Against
Women Act of 2005 (VAWA, Public Law 109-162) authorized
the Sexual Assault Services Program, the first Federal
funding dedicated exclusively to sexual assault
services. The Program includes funding for culturally
specific programs that serve victims who face unique
cultural and linguistic barriers.

In addition to helping victims, offenders must be held
accountable for their crimes. Sexual assault forensic
examinations and trained examiners can

ensure that victims are treated with requisite
sensitivity and that critical evidence is collected to
facilitate a successful prosecution. To this end, VAWA
mandates that all States that accept Federal grants to
combat violence against women ensure that sexual
assault victims receive forensic examinations free of
charge, even if the victim chooses not to report the
crime to the police.

To make continued progress, my Administration supports
efforts to help Americans better understand this issue.
Working together, we can reduce the incidence of sexual
assault and help all who have experienced this heinous
crime.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim April 2009, as National
Sexual Assault Awareness Month. I urge all Americans to
respond to sexual assault by creating policies at work
and school, by engaging in discussions with family and
friends, and by making the prevention of sexual assault
a priority in their communities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.