— April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) is raising awareness to the need for prevention of these acts, prosecution of the perpetrators, and increased resources for victims.  He personally knows victims of sexual assault and tackled it head on while serving as a base commander in the U.S. Air Force.

“When I arrived at Ramstein Air Base in Germany as the new base commander in 2008, the allegations of sexual assault were high,” said Congressman Bacon. “I implemented a two-step solution to address the problem. First, all rape accusers would have their day in court if willing to testify. Second, those convicted of rape would have their names and prison sentences distributed widely around the base.”

This program was later ranked by the Air Force as its No. 1 sexual assault response program.

Earlier this month, Congressman Bacon agreed to be a co-sponsor of H.R. 2052, The PRIVATE Act, which amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice to punish those military members who engage in what is called ‘revenge porn.’

“This past March, I heard very disturbing news from U.S. Marine leadership that over a thousand Marines were posting content to social media sites that was degrading fellow female Marines,” said Congressman Bacon. “Any service member who treats another with such disrespect should be held accountable and this process should be done in an open manner.”

Congressman Bacon has also agreed to co-sponsor H.R. 1035, the Extending Justice for Sex Crime Victims Act of 2017, which amends the statute of limitations to seek and recover damages for a victim of human trafficking or a federal sexual offense.

This weekend he will be hosting a Sexual Assault and Exploitation Roundtable with members of the community.

“I’ll be meeting with victims of sexual assault who are using their experiences to be a resource for the community when it comes to prevention and support,” said Congressman Bacon. “I’ll also be meeting with organizations who work to try and get victims out of human trafficking, as well as law enforcement who are on the front lines of catching the perpetrators.”

Finally, Congressman Bacon will deliver a floor speech today April 27, during the 10:00 a.m. EST hour addressing and recognizing this issue.

“Although I feel honored and trusted that two victims have asked me to share their stories to bring awareness to the violent act of sexual assault and exploitation, I really wish there weren’t any victims and that this problem did not exist,” said Congressman Bacon.

Live coverage of the floor speech can be found on C-Span.

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