Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sexual Assault Awareness Month April 2010 Dover, Delaware - April 1, 2010 - Governor Markell Signs Proclamation Declaring April in Delaware Sexual Assault Awareness Month

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On Thursday, April 1st in his Dover office Governor Markell signed a proclamation declaring April as Sexual Assault Awareness month. The Governor and ContactLifeline’s Sexual Assault Network of Delaware announced the launching of a public education campaign in Delaware to raise the awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault both nationally and locally.

In the United States there is a silent epidemic of sexual violence that occurs every 1.9 minutes. Nationally, 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed rape, 2.8% attempted rape).¹ About 3% of American men or 1 in 33 have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. 15% of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12.² 7% of girls in grades 5-8 and 12% of girls in grades 9-12 said they had been sexually abused.³ 3% of boys grades 5-8 and 5% of boys in grades 9-12 said they had been sexually abused. 

In Delaware, an estimated 38,000 adult women, or one in eight adult women, have been the victim of forcible rape. Victims of sexual assault are three times more likely to suffer from depression, six times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, thirteen times more likely to abuse alcohol, and twenty six times more likely to abuse drugs.⁴

Sexual Assault Awareness month is intended to bring attention to the fact that sexual violence is a violent crime with public health indications of epidemic proportions. Every person in Delaware has been affected by sexual violence - as victim/survivor, family member, significant other, neighbor or co-worker. No one person, organization, agency or community can eliminate sexual violence on their own. We must work together to provide public support as we continue to work toward a society where all women, children and men can live in peace, free from sexual violence and exploitation.

Contact:
Contact Lifeline
 www.contactlifeline.org  
PO BOX 61
Milford, DE 19963
Ph: 1-302-422-1154 

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1. National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women Survey. 1998.
2. U.S. Department of Justice. 2003 National Crime Victimization Survey. 2003.
3. 1998 Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls. 1998.
4. National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women Survey. 1998.

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