Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, today the House considers House Resolution 1259, a resolution designating the month of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and I totally support this important legislation. I want to thank the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin) for sponsoring this bill and bringing it to the attention of Congress again this year. It is important that we recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month to bring awareness to this tragic crime that occurs throughout the United States. The goal of the resolution is to raise public awareness and educate communities and individuals about sexual assault and sexual violence. It encourages the prevention of sexual assault and the improvement of treatment of its survivors and the prosecution of perpetrators. The numbers tell the story we cannot ignore. On average, a person is sexually assaulted in the United States every 2\1/2\ minutes. According to the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics, individuals age 12 or older experienced an estimated 222,000 rapes or sexual assaults in 2008, the last year for which we have data. The Rape Abuse Incest National Network, called RAINN, provides statistics about incidents of sexual assault in this country. And according to RAINN, children and young adults are the greatest risk of sexual assault: 44 percent of sexual assault victims are under the age of 18, and 80 percent are under the age of 30.…”