PRINTER'S NO. 1603
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No. 277
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY MUTH, L. WILLIAMS, SCHWANK, HUGHES, TARTAGLIONE,
HAYWOOD, KANE, FONTANA, BREWSTER, VOGEL, COSTA AND
CAPPELLETTI, MAY 17, 2024
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, MAY 17, 2024
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating the month of April 2024 as "Military Sexual Trauma
2 Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, April is nationally recognized as "Sexual Assault
4 Awareness Month" to call attention to the fact that sexual
5 violence is widespread and impacts every community; and
6 WHEREAS, As part of April being recognized nationally as
7 "Sexual Assault Awareness Month," this Commonwealth must also
8 raise awareness of military sexual trauma and the resources
9 available through the Department of Military and Veterans
10 Affairs and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for
11 survivors of military sexual trauma; and
12 WHEREAS, According to statistics from the United States
13 Department of Veterans Affairs, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 50 men
14 report experiencing sexual harassment or sexual assault during
15 military service when asked by a VA health care provider; and
16 WHEREAS, Any individual in the military can experience
17 military sexual assault, regardless of the individual's age,
 1 race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, physical abilities
2 or branch of service; and
3 WHEREAS, Military sexual trauma can occur at any time or
4 place during military service, whether on or off duty and on or
5 off base; and
6 WHEREAS, The psychological impact of military sexual trauma
7 and the resulting trauma can push survivors out of military
8 service and lead to tremendous difficulty readjusting to their
9 civilian lives; and
10 WHEREAS, The United States Department of Defense's 2021
11 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military revealed in
12 stark detail that sexual assault and sexual harassment remain
13 persistent and distressing problems in the military; and
14 WHEREAS, Service member sexual assault reports increased by
15 13% in 2021, compared to the 2020 report; and
16 WHEREAS, Shame and stigma create a barrier to reporting
17 sexual assault; and
18 WHEREAS, On average, only one out of every three sexual
19 assault survivors come forward to report the assault; and
20 WHEREAS, Even though women make up only 20% of the United
21 States Armed Forces members, they are the target of 63% of
22 sexual assaults; and
23 WHEREAS, Sexual assault in the military is not only a women's
24 issue; and
25 WHEREAS, More than 100,000 men have been sexually assaulted
26 in the military in recent decades; and
27 WHEREAS, In today's military, military sexual assault
28 survivors are often forgotten; and
29 WHEREAS, Prior to being assaulted, many military sexual
30 assault survivors had dreams of serving for 20 or more years in
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 1 the United States Armed Forces and were happy in their
2 workplace; and
3 WHEREAS, Survivors of military sexual assault often decide
4 not to report the assault for the reasons of embarrassment, fear
5 and shame and professional and personal implications; and
6 WHEREAS, The military's culture of duty, teamwork, strength
7 and accomplishment conflicts with military sexual assault
8 survivors' needs, resulting in them being stigmatized as weak or
9 failing their fellow service members; and
10 WHEREAS, The uniqueness of military life causes additional
11 anxiety to a sexual assault survivor and complicates the
12 survivor's life, which may result in lack of promotion or
13 removal from service; and
14 WHEREAS, The personal stories of survivors underscore the
15 need for meaningful change to provide healing to those affected
16 by military sexual assault trauma through adequate medical and
17 mental health services; and
18 WHEREAS, The Senate must honor the strength, resolve and
19 perseverance of military sexual assault survivors and work
20 urgently to end sexual violence in the military throughout this
21 Commonwealth; therefore be it
22 RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of April 2024
23 as "Military Sexual Trauma Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
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