Tartaglione’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month Resolution Passes PA Senate Unanimously

Tartaglione’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month Resolution Passes PA Senate Unanimously

April 2018 will be Sexual Assault Awareness Month throughout the Commonwealth.

HARRISBURG, PA, March 29, 2018 – The Pennsylvania Senate unanimously passed a resolution authored by Sen. Christine Tartaglione this week declaring April 2018 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month throughout the Commonwealth. In her March 26 remarks from the Senate floor, Tartaglione described sexual assault and violence as a “pervasive epidemic that affects all of us.”

“Nearly one in five women and one in 71 men in the United States have experienced rape or attempted rape sometime in their lives,” Sen. Tartaglione said. “Additionally, 44 percent of women and 23 percent of men have experienced other forms of sexual violence during their lives, including sexual coercion, unwanted sexual contact and other non-contact sexual experiences.”

The theme for this year’s observance is “Embrace Your Voice,” a slogan that recognizes and reflects the burgeoning #MeToo movement. Sen. Tartaglione encouraged survivors to speak out about their experiences and to seek help in overcoming the lifelong trauma resulting from sexual assault. She also spoke of the need for communities to educate themselves about prevention.

 

Here is the full text of Sen. Tartaglione’s remarks:

“Today I offer this resolution to bring awareness to an important issue in the state, Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sexual assault is a pervasive epidemic that affects all of us. Nearly one in five women and one in 71 men in the United States have experienced rape or attempted rape sometime in their lives. Additionally, 44 percent of women and 23 percent of men have experienced other forms of sexual violence during their lives, including sexual coercion, unwanted sexual contact and other non-contact sexual experiences.

“Of the 20 percent of women and 1.7 percent of men that have been sexually assaulted during their lifetimes, nearly 80 percent of women were assaulted before the age of 25, with forty percent of them experiencing their first rape between the ages of 11 and 17. And 28 percent of men were first raped before their 10th birthday.

“We need to act to stop this violence now. We all have a responsibility to help prevent sexual assault. We must work together to educate our communities about sexual assault prevention. The more we talk about sexual assault, and the more educated people become about it, the better chance we have to prevent it. Every one of us can make a difference in someone’s life by teaching people how to recognize the signs of sexual abuse and what to do when someone is attacked.

“Therefore, I ask my colleagues for support to combat sexual violence, to take steps to prevent it, and to help survivors seek counseling to overcome the lifelong trauma resulting from sexual assault. Thanks to organizations like Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, these efforts are already underway. This year’s theme is ‘Embrace Your Voice,’ which encourages every person to speak out against sexual violence in all forms and to find ways to prevent it in our communities.”

# # #

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact William Kenny at 215-533-0440 or email at William.Kenny@pasenate.com.

Senate Resolution Making April ‘Sexual Assault Awareness Month’ Approved

HARRISBURG, April 4, 2016 – State Sens. Christine Tartaglione and Rob Teplitz today won approval of a resolution marking April as “Sexual Assault Awareness Month” in Pennsylvania.

Sen. Tartaglione said increasing awareness is vital because 20 percent of women and one-in-33 men will experience sexual assault sometime during their lifetimes.

“The more we talk about sexual assault and the more educated people become about sexual assault, the better chance we have of preventing it,” Tartaglione said during floor remarks today. “And yet, the majority of sexual assaults are never reported to the police. We need to act to stop the violence now.”

Tartaglione said about 63 percent of sexual assault victims do not tell police about the crime committed against them.

“By teaching people how to recognize the signs of sexual abuse and what to do when someone is assaulted and abused. Every one of us can make a difference in someone’s life,” she said.

Sen. Tartaglione also applauded the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, a Harrisburg-based advocacy group that works to stop sexual assault and defend the rights of victims, for its work. On its website, PCAR defines sexual violence as “any type of unwanted sexual contact, ranging from sexist attitudes and actions to rape and murder.”

###

Follow Sen. Christine Tartaglione on Facebook, Twitter and via her website.

Sens. Tartaglione, Teplitz Make April ‘Sexual Assault Awareness Month’

HARRISBURG, April 13, 2015 – Thanks to the legislative efforts of Sens. Christine M. Tartaglione and Rob Teplitz, April in Pennsylvania is now “Sexual Assault Awareness Month.”

April became “Sexual Assault Awareness Month” when the senators successfully introduced a resolution making it so.

“By taking precautionary steps in our schools, across college campuses and in workplaces, by teaching people how to recognize the signs of sexual abuse and what to do when someone is assaulted and abused, every one of us can make a difference in someone’s life,” Sen. Tartaglione said today while introducing the resolution on the floor of the Senate.

Tartaglione credited organizations like the National Sexual Violence Resource Center for taking steps to combat and prevent sexual assault, and help survivors gain counseling services so they can overcome their nightmare.

“Sexual assault is a serious issue that affects all of us. And, the more we talk about it and educate people about it, the better chance we have of preventing it,” Tartaglione said.

“We need to act now to stop the violence.”

###

Follow Sen. Christine Tartaglione on Facebook, Twitter and via her website.