WHEREAS, The American Medical Association has stated that a “woman is raped every 46 seconds in the United States” and that sexual assault is a “silent epidemic”; and

WHEREAS, In California, there were 9,785 forcible rapes reported in the year 2000; and

WHEREAS, It is estimated by the Bureau of Justice Statistics that over 70 percent of rapes are never reported to police; and

WHEREAS, Women, children, and men are all victims of sexual assault and it is estimated that one in three women, one in four girls, one in six boys, and one in 11 men will be victims at least once in their lifetimes; and

WHEREAS, Rape and sexual assault impacts women, children, and men of all racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds; and

WHEREAS, Women, children, and men suffer multiple types of sexual violence, including acquaintance rape, stranger rape, sexual assault by an intimate partner, gang rape, incest, stalking, serial rape, ritual abuse, sexual harassment, child sexual molestation, prostitution, and pornography; and

WHEREAS, In addition to the immediate physical and emotional costs, sexual assault may also have associated severe and long-lasting consequences of posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, major depression, homelessness, eating disorders, and suicide; and

WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified sexual assault as a significant, costly, and preventable health issue; and

WHEREAS, Women, children, and men in our state have the right to be safe from sexual violence in their homes, at school, at work, and on the streets; and

WHEREAS, It is our responsibility to support rape survivors by treating them with dignity, compassion, and respect; and

WHEREAS, It is crucially important to hold perpetrators responsible for sexual attacks, and to prevent sexual violence at every opportunity; and

WHEREAS, A coalition of rape crisis centers, known as the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, has emerged to directly confront this crisis with the cooperation of law enforcement agencies, churches, health care providers, and other helping professionals from California’s diverse communities; and

WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the compassion and dedication of the individuals involved in this effort, applaud their commitment, and increase public understanding of this significant problem; and

WHEREAS, Rape Counseling Services throughout California serve a vital function for victims of sexual assault by providing crisis intervention, prevention education, and staffing for 24-hour rape hot-lines, and by offering hospital and court advocacy; and

WHEREAS, Social workers are crucial to the welfare of victims of sexual assault in that they provide crisis counseling at the time of the assault, create preventative programming for all ages to raise awareness of sexual assault, provide therapy for trauma victims as well as assailants in private practice, clinics, hospitals, schools, and correctional facilities, and contribute to the writing of policies that result in funding for rape awareness and treatment, and for the rehabilitation of sexual offenders; and

WHEREAS, District attorneys have successfully tried and convicted several thousands of perpetrators of sexual assault; and

WHEREAS, The federal government, the State of California, and several private corporations and organizations provide essential funding for rape counseling service centers and domestic violence shelters; and

WHEREAS, The Department of Justice’s DNA and Forensic Identification Data Base has proven an exceptional tool in prosecuting unsolved rape cases; and

WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the strength, courage, and challenges to the victims and survivors of sexual assault and their family and friends as they struggle to cope with the reality of sexual assault; and

WHEREAS, It is important to recognize that not all victims of sexual assault survive, either at the time of the assault or later, due to the horrific long-term trauma that sexual assault often inflicts upon victims; and

WHEREAS, There are rape prevention and education efforts underway throughout California to challenge the societal myths and behaviors that perpetuate rape and to engage communities in a common goal of ending sexual assault; now, therefore, be it