Political Quotes

“I want to take this opportunity to remind my colleagues that April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We commemorate it each year to bring public awareness to the staggering problem of sexual violence. Tens of thousands of people in the United States and hundreds of my fellow Iowans annually fall victim to this heinous crime. Sexual assault occurs at least every minute and a half, according to law enforcement statistics. These same figures reveal an increase in rape cases since 2011, contrary to claims by the former Obama administration that the violent crime rate had declined in recent years. But up to two-thirds of sexual assaults are never reported to police, say crime victim advocates. This means that the average perpetrator strikes multiple times before being brought to justice. Equally as troubling, the incarceration rate is less than one percent of all sexual assaults reported to law enforcement. The FBI ranks rape as one of the two most violent crimes, second only to murder in its effects. Survivors suffer not only physical consequences, but sometimes life-shattering emotional effects as well. According to the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network, as well as the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, post-traumatic stress disorder is typical. Depression or even suicide is not uncommon. The healing process is often slow and painstaking.…”