U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced Thursday that over $1 million dollars in federal funding has been allocated to the Illinois Department of Public Health to support sexual assault prevention efforts.

The money will go toward rape prevention and education programs, counseling services, 24-hour crisis hotlines and criminal justice assistance, according to a news release.

“Funding education and building awareness in our schools and communities will help prevent sexual assault in Illinois,” Durbin said in the statement. “We must do everything within our power to protect women and men from sexual violence and these federal investments will help do just that.”
The funding comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Rape Prevention and Education Program. According to information on the CDC website, the program was created with the passage of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994. The program “seeks to develop and strengthen sexual violence prevention efforts at the local, state, and national level.”

Duckworth said working to prevent sexual assault is a “daunting” challenge.

“I am pleased Illinois will be receiving critical CDC support to strengthen prevention and education initiatives,” she said.

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