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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-044.- -. ~:~ - ~ ~e. ~E> BOARD C"AUNTY OF OF SUPERVISORS BUTTE, STATE OF CALIFORNIA ~c~snlufion No. 05-044 RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING APRIL 2005 AS SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH IN BUTTE COUNTY WHEREAS, sexual assault is an intolerable violent crime with public health implications for every person in Butte County as a victim/survivor or as a family member, significant other, neighbor or coworker of a victim/survivor; and WHEREAS, harmful attitudes about rape and sexual assault allow these crimes to persist and allow survivors to be revictimized through victim-blaming attitudes; and WHEREAS, the importance of this issue is underlined by statistics indicating that approximately one-in-four women and one-in-ten men are raped in adulthood and the sexual assault victimization rate for youths under 18 years of age has been documented as one-in-four for girls and one-in-six for boys; and WHEREAS, no one person, organization, agency or community can eliminate sexual assault on their own. We must work together to educate our entire population about what can be done to prevent sexual assault, support victim/survivors and their significant others, and increase support for agencies providing services to victim/survivors; and WHEREAS, Rape Crisis Intervention & Prevention has led the way in Butte County in addressing sexual assault by providing by providing 24-hour hotline services to victim/survivors and their significant others, responding to emergency calls, offering support and comfort to those impacted by sexual assault during medical exams, criminal proceedings, and empowering those impacted by sexual assault to chart their own course for healing; and WHEREAS, ending sexual assault in Butte County must include active public and private effort to Speak Out Against Sexual Violence in collaboration with Rape Crisis Intervention, including conversation about what sexual violence is, how to prevent it, how to help survivors connect with crucial counseling and other support services, and how every segment of our society can work together to better address sexual violence; and WHEREAS, staff and volunteers of sexual assault programs in Butte County work year around to encourage every person in Butte County to Speak Out Against Sexual Violence and to support survivors by providing prevention education and survivor empowerment information to schools, churches, civic organizations, as well as medical, mental health, law enforcement, education, and criminal justice personnel regarding sexual assault issues; and WHEREAS, Rape Crisis Intervention & Prevention has set an important example of how forging collaborative relationships between service agencies and organizations serves to improve the quality of service for those most profoundly and directly impacted by sexual violence, thus setting an important example for how the rest of the community might work together to speak out and find solutions to sexual violence; and WHEREAS, Rape Crisis Intervention & Prevention requests public support and assistance as it continues its effort to bring real hope for freeing Butte County from the tragedy of sexual violence to create a future where all women, men, and children can live free from violence and exploitation. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Butte County Board of Supervisors hereby proclaims the month of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Butte County. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Butte County Board of Supervisors this 12`h day of April 200.5 by the following vote: AYES: Supervisors NOES: None ABSENT: None NOT VOTING: None Connelly, Dolan, Houx, Josiassen and Chair Yamaguchi s KIM K. YAMAGUCHI, Chair ATTEST: PAUL MCINTOSH, Chief Administrative Officer And Clerk of the Board of Supervisors By Deputy