Joe Biden: “I speak today to submit a resolution with my good friend and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Specter. Our…”

“I speak today to submit a resolution with my good friend and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Specter. Our resolution recognizes and commends the National Sexual Assault Hotline for counseling and helping more than 1 million callers. One of the most telling statistics since passage of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 is the number of individuals reporting rape to the authorities. Almost half--42 percent of rape victims are now stepping forward and reporting these heinous crimes to the authorities, while prior to 2002, only 31 percent reported their attacks. Each number represents a brave victim who steps forward and says out loud that she has been raped. For years, rape was a crime of shame. Our society blamed the victim. Police, lawyers, and judges focused on her conduct--what did she wear? where was she walking? was she drinking alcohol? Slowly but surely, we are working to change societal attitudes about rape and improve our criminal justice system to encourage reporting and prosecution of rapes, whether committed by the neighbor next door or a stranger in an alley. A critical partner in our fight to end sexual assault has been the National Sexual Assault Hotline operated by RAINN, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. RAINN created this toll-free telephone hotline--1-800-656-HOPE--in 1994 and manages it with 1,100 local affiliates in 50 States, and the District of Columbia.…”