Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was one of two political leaders who received the Crime Fighter Award from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network yesterday.
Democratic U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Shultz of Florida also received the honor.
The group's president, Scott Berkowitz, credited McConnell's "extraordinary efforts" for a significant reduction in sexual violence.
Berkowitz praised McConnell for co-sponsoring a bill aimed at ending a backlog of untested DNA evidence in rape cases.
McConnell said that he, as the father of three daughters, takes the issue of sexual violence against women personally.