Assembly Concurrent Resolution
No. 64
CHAPTER 17
Relative to Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
[
Filed with
Secretary of State
April 14, 2003.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 64, Jackson.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
This measure would resolve that the month of April be designated henceforth as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Digest Key
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 9,882 forcible rapes reported in 2001; 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, pornography, and stalking; 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, It is important to recognize the strength, courage, and challenges of the victims and survivors of sexual assault and their families 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
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That, henceforth, the month of April shall be designated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month; and be it further
Resolved,That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, to the Governor, to the Director of the United States Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.