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H.R.1973 - Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act of 2017

"To prevent the sexual abuse of minors and amateur athletes by requiring the prompt reporting of sexual abuse to law enforcement authorities, and for other purposes."
-Any adult who is authorized by a national governing body, i.e teachers, coaches, state workers ect., must report any suspected sexual abuse or assault on a minor or amateur athlete.
-This bill has been expanded to include the United Stated Olympic Committee/organization.
-The bill stemmed from recent allegations of sexual abuse made against personnel in USA gymnastics. If passed USA gymnastics would implement policies to ensure that all coaches and personnel are trained in sexual abuse prevention.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1973/text

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According to the National Center for Victims of Crime:

-       1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys is a victim of child sexual abuse

-       Self-report studies show that 20% of adult females and 5-10% of adult males recall a childhood sexual assault or sexual abuse incident

-       During a one-year period in the U.S, 16% of youths ages 14-17 had been sexually victimized.

-       Over the course of their lifetime 28% of U.S youth ages 14-17 had been sexually victimized.

-       Children are most vulnerable between the ages of 7 and 13.

According to a report published by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center rape is the most underreported crime, with only 12% of childhood sexual assaults being reported to authorities. The National Center for Victims of Crime also found that Children who had an experience of rape or attempted rape in their adolescent years were 13.7 times more likely to experience rape or attempted rape in their first year of college. They also found that children who experienced sexual assault were more likely to develop low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, a distorted view of sex, and were more likely to become suicidal.

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Cost of Rape and Sexual Assault

·       According to the Center of Disease Control “the total lifetime estimated financial costs associated with just one year of confirmed cases of child maltreatment is approximately $124 billion.” This includes sexual, physical, and psychological assault.

·       A recent report on the impact of sexual assault found that “sexual harassment alone cost the federal government an estimated $327 million in losses associated with job turnover, sick leave, and individual and group productivity among federal employees.” Additionally the report also found that “Lifetime income loss, due to sexual violence in adolescence, is estimated at $241,600”.

·       Costs the United States more than any other crime, including assault, murder, and drunk driving. Additionally, health insurance for women who have experienced sexual assault in childhood costs 16% more.

·       Being proactive and implementing programs, policies, and laws to encourage reporting sexual assault, especially childhood rape and sexual assault, can drastically decrease the amount of money spent on the aftermath of these crimes.

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The Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act of 2017 was sponsored by Representative Susan Brooks (R-IN) on 4/6/17. Rep. Brooks was a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana under President George W. Bush. One of her major focuses was child exploitation. The bill was cosponsored by five Democrats including; Lois Frankel (FL) and Luis Guiterrez (IL). It was also cosponsored by ten Republicans including Pete Sessions (TX) and Bob Goodlatte (VA). The bill was studied by the House Judiciary Committee chaired by Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and the House Education and the Workforce Committee chaired by Virginia Foxx (R-NC). The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on 5/25/17 with 415 yeas and 3 nays. It was then given to the Senate Judiciary committee for review which is chaired by Chuck Grassley (R-IA). The bill was introduced after reports showing the high number of Olympic coaches who have been convicted for child sexual abuse. These clear and convincing reports made it easy for both sides of the floor to support the bill as demonstrated by the five Democrats who cosponsored the bill and the landslide decision to pass it in the House. It makes sense that it is Republican led as the House and the Senate are both Republican majority at this time. The bill is also supported by many national organizations including National Children’s Alliance, Rights4Girls, National Crime Victims Center, and National Children Advocacy Center.

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Sponsor of the bill

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According to the bill sponsor, "over the past 20 years, at least 368 victims, many of whom were young athletes, were subjected to sexual abuse by coaches, doctors or other adults affiliated with USA Gymnastics."
Because sexual assault has a major impact on both physical and mental health, protective measures are proposed to combat the social problem. Blau suggested that "the issue of inequality is one of the most pervasive themes in U.S. history," and that, "because social welfare reduces inequality, it has often been tied into issues about who is entitled to what" (Blau, pg. 238). Blau's assessment on the history of social welfare leads us to question what the victims of sexual assault are entitled to. Who are the mandated reporters? Do the victims have equal rights to receive medical and mental health treatment?

-Earliest written laws defined rape as a property crime. As the laws evolved, English Common Law most clearly influenced sexual assault laws in the U.S., shifting it to a crime against a person where a civil suit could be made.
-1970's: Women in England held protests against sexual assault that occurred as they walked the streets and called them "Take Back the Night marches," raising awareness of the social problem and expanding to other countries, including the U.S.

-1980's: The National Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NCASA) polled sexual assault coalition and selected a week in April as Sexual Assault Awareness Week.

-1990's: Advocates began holding sexual violence events throughout the entire month of April, making is commonly called Sexual Assault Awareness month (SAAM).

-2000's: The color teal was chosen as the ribbon for awareness and prevention.

-2000s to present: SAAM continued to expand their campaign, hoping to reach a wider audience by focusing on healthy sexuality, child sexual abuse prevention, taking action to prevent the assault before it happens, and promoting safety, respect, and equality.

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In the textbook by Blau, it was said that social movements represent "challenges to existing arrangements of power and distribution by people with common purposes and solidarity, in sustained interaction with elites, opponents and authorities" (Blau, pg. 196). After reading that line and thinking about what makes a social movement a movement, it's clear that it takes collective action in pursuit of a broad, systematic change.

The Rape Crisis movement began in the 1970's when women began to share stories of abuse as wife's, girlfriends, and children. The women aimed to get new rules about decision-making, power, and authority. They challenged gender roles and the expectations and limits of behavior within those roles. The movement listened to what survivors were saying and has worked to overcome misconceptions about the origin and nature of sexual assault, prejudice towards victims, and stereotypes about perpetrators.

As a result of the Rape Crisis movement, a 24-hour crisis line was established. In addition, there has been prevention education and training programs, brochures, self-defense classes, and marches that devoted thousands of hours to "victims heal from the devastation" of sexual assault and rape" (Poskin, Polly).

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On page 140 in The Dynamics of Social Welfare Policy, It describes All five political ideologies as containing a view of human nature. These political ideologies make assumptions about human abilities, needs, wants, and purposes, and government provision.
Conservative:
-Traditional values are to be preserved through strengthening the family.
-More concerned with what victims can do to prevent sexual assault; behaviors, clothing, ect.
-Believe in deterring perpetrators from committing these acts.
Liberal:
-believe in advocating for victims of sexual assault/abuse.
-State intervention.
-Enlist support from diverse persons or organizations.
-Changes in legislation, police and court procedures, and medical and hospital services.

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Blau, J., & Abramovitz, M. (2014). The dynamics of social welfare policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Center for Disease Control. (2017, August 14). Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect Rival Other Major Public Health Problems. Retrieved from Center for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childmaltreatment/economiccost.html

History of the movement (2016, May 9). Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs.

H.R. 1973, Protecting young victims from sexual abuse act of 2017 (2017, May 25). Republican Policy Committee.

The National Center for Victims of Violent Crimes. (2017, August 14th). Child Sexual Abuse Statistics. Retrieved from The National Center for Victims of Violent Crimes: http://victimsofcrime.org/media/reporting-on-child-sexual-abuse/child-sexual-abuse-statistics

National Sexual Violence Recourse Center. (2017). Statistics About Sexual Violence. Harrisburg: National Sexual Violence Recourse Center.

Moulton, S. (2017, May 30). Vote Explanation for H.R. 1973 -- Protecting Young Victims for Sexual Exploitation Act of 2017. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@teammoulton/vote-explanation-for-h-r-1973-protecting-young-victims-from-sexual-exploitation-act-of-2017-e7e302a0d7a6

Poskin, Polly (2006, October). A brief history of the anti-rape movement. Resource Sharing Project.

Sexual assault awareness month history (2017). National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1973/text

Valentich, Mary, and James Gripton. “Ideological Perspectives on the Sexual Assault of Women.” Social Service Review, vol. 58, no. 3, 1984, pp. 448–461. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/30011740

Wikipedia (2017, July 28) Susan Brooks. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Brooks

(2017, April 6). Brooks and Frankel Introduce Protecting Young Athletes from Sexual Abuse Act. Retrieved from https://susanwbrooks.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/brooks-and-frankel-introduce-protecting-young-athletes-from-sexual-abuse

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Sexual Assault Awareness Month Poster for 2017

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Sexual Assault Awareness Month Poster for 2017