2025 -- H 6199

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LC000478

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

COMMEMORATING APRIL OF 2025, AS "CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS

MONTH" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Representatives Roberts, Nardone, Chippendale, Santucci, Hopkins,
Paplauskas, Fascia, Place, Newberry, and J. Brien

     Date Introduced: April 08, 2025

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, Child Sexual Assault Awareness Month is observed annually in April in

order to recognize and increase awareness about sexual violence against children and educate

communities on how to prevent it; and

     WHEREAS, Child sexual abuse is a significant public health problem and is not solely

restricted to physical contact; such abuse could include noncontact abuse, such as exposure,

voyeurism, and child pornography; and

     WHEREAS, The prevalence of child sexual abuse is difficult to fully determine because

it is often not reported; however, according to the most recent National Statistics from Child

Abuse Organizations, one out of ten children in the United States has experienced physical and

sexual abuse. One in four girls and one in thirteen boys become a victim of child sexual abuse

before they turn eighteen years old according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;

and

     WHEREAS, Forty-four percent of rape victims are under the age of eighteen and sixty-

three percent of all sexual assaults go unreported to the police; and

     WHEREAS, According to the 2023 National Statistics on Child Abuse, U.S. child

welfare authorities look into the safety of more than 7.5 million children annually and of those,

around 3 million children received an investigation or alternative response from child protective

services agencies; and

     WHEREAS, A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low

self-esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and an abnormal or distorted view of sex. The child may

become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults, and can become suicidal; and

     WHEREAS, Children do not always fully comprehend nor are they developmentally

prepared or have the ability to give consent, and need to rely on adults to keep them safe and

ensure that child molesters and abusers are held responsible for their actions; now therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby

commemorates April of 2025 as "Child Sexual Assault Awareness Month" and calls upon all

Rhode Islanders to help prevent and eliminate child sexual assault and violence in our

communities through advocacy, training, education and prevention programs; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the State of Rhode Island Department of

Children, Youth & Families and the Children's Advocacy Center.

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LC000478

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