HomeMy WebLinkAboutProclamation proclaiming the month of April 2011 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Proclamation
"Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2011"
WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center assisted 379 survivors of sexual violence
and their family members, friends and loved ones during 2010; and
WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center works with the County's two school
systems and other groups to provide all students with age-appropriate information about
sexual assault prevention, reaching 9,750 youth and adults during the 2009-2010 school
year;and
WHEREAS, the coordination of the Orange County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) is
bringing together members of law enforcement, the medical community, the legal
system and other community advocc les to improve services for survivors of sexual assault
who come forward;and
WHEREAS, 1 in 5 North Carolina women have been sexually assaulted at some point in
their lives (NC Department of Health and Human Services, 1999); and
WHEREAS, in the United States rape is the most costly crime to its survivors, totaling $127
billion a year considering factors such as medical cost, lost earnings, pain, suffering and
lost quality of life (U.S. Department of Justice, 1996); and
WHEREAS, in the United States 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men have experienced a
completed or attempted rape at some time in their life (US Department of Justice, 1998);
and
WHEREAS, there are 16,285 sex offenders registered as living in North Carolina (State
Bureau of Investigation, 2011); and
WHEREAS, the blaming of the victim continues to be an enormous problem in instances of
rape and sexual assault; and
WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, a non-profit, volunteer agency which
has been serving this community since 1974, is working with others in the community to
stop sexual violence and its impact through support, education and advocacy;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners,
do hereby proclaim the month of April 2011 as "SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH"
and encourage all residents to speak out against sexual violence and to support their
local communities' efforts to prevent and respond to these appalling crimes.
This the 5th day of April 2011.
Bernadette Pelissier, Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners