HomeMy WebLinkAboutProclamation proclaiming the month of April 2012 as Sexual Assault Awareness MonthOR.ANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Proclamation
"Sexual Assault Awareness Month"
Avri12012
WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center assisted 458 survivors of se~al violence
and their loved ones during 2011; and
WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center works with the county's two school
systems and other groups to provide students with age-appropriate information about violence
prevention, reaching 10,607 youth and adults during the 2010 - 2011 school year; and
WHEREAS, the coordination of the Orange County Se~ual Assault Response Team (SART) is
bringing together members of law enforcement, the medical community, the legal system, and
other community ad~ocates to improve services for survivors of sexual assault who come
forward; and
WHEREAS, 1 in 5 American women have been raped at some point in their lives (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 2010); 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 2 women and 1 in 5 men have experienced some form of
se~al violence in their lives (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010); and
WHEREAS, there are 17,315 sex offenders registered as living in North Carolina (Department of
Justice, 2012); and
WHEREAS, victim-blaming continues to be an enormous problem in instances of rape and
se~al assault; and
WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, a non-profit agency that has served this
community since 1974, is working to stop se~ntal 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 2012 as "SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS
MONTH" and encourage all residents to speak out against se~rual violence and to support their
local communities' efforts to prevent and respond to these appalling crimes.
This the 22nd day of March 2012. „-~}_ ~~~`~•~^
~~~n~.~S~Y~
Bernadette Pelissier, Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners