[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 125, 112th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 8643 of March 31, 2011

National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Our Nation must continue to confront rape and other forms of sexual
violence as a deplorable crime. Too many victims suffer unaided, and too
many offenders elude justice. As we mark National Sexual Assault
Awareness and Prevention Month, we recommit to building a society where
no woman, man, or child endures the fear of assault or the pain of an
attack on their physical well-being and basic human dignity.
Despite reforms to our legal system, sexual violence remains pervasive
and largely misunderstood. Nearly one in six American women will
experience an attempted or completed rape at some point in her life, and
for some groups, rates of sexual violence are even higher. Almost one in
three American Indian and Alaska Native women will be sexually
assaulted. Young women ages 16 to 24 are at greatest risk, and an
alarming number of young women are sexually assaulted while in college.
Too many men and boys are also affected. With each new victim and each
person still suffering from an attack, we are called with renewed
purpose to respond to and rid our Nation of all forms of sexual
violence.
Sexual assault is considered to be the most underreported violent crime
in America, and criminal justice responses vary widely across our
country. Some communities have developed highly trained, coordinated
teams who understand the nature of sexual assault and can respond with
compassionate understanding. In other places, victims hesitate to report
these crimes because they fear the criminal justice system will respond
with skepticism or fail to bring the perpetrator to justice. We must
ensure our police, prosecutors, and courts treat victims with the
seriousness and respect they need and deserve. We must do more to
provide services that help victims recover from the trauma

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of sexual assault. And ultimately, we must prevent sexual assault before
it happens.
Under Vice President Joe Biden's leadership, my Administration is
committed to engaging a broad spectrum of Federal agencies and community
partners to prevent sexual assault, support victims, and hold offenders
accountable. The Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against
Women is leading the Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative to improve
the way sexual assault survivors are served. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention is funding innovative prevention campaigns that
engage bystanders in reducing sexual assault, and the Department of
Education is working to combat sexual violence at schools and
universities. We will continue to support new approaches that show
promise in changing cultural attitudes toward sexual violence and
preventing these crimes.
Each victim of sexual assault represents a sister or a daughter, a
nephew or a friend. We must break the silence so no victim anguishes
without resources or aid in their time of greatest need. We must
continue to reinforce that America will not tolerate sexual violence
within our borders. Likewise, we will partner with countries across the
globe as we work toward a common vision of a world free from the threat
of sexual violence, including as a tool of conflict. Working together,
we can reduce the incidence of sexual assault and heal lives that have
already been devastated by this terrible 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
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2011 as National
Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. I urge all Americans to
support victims and work together to prevent these crimes in their
communities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of
March, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
fifth.
BARACK OBAMA