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b. Sexual Assault Awareness Month Proclamation <br /> The Board considered a proclamation recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness <br /> month in Orange County and authorizing the Chair to sign. <br /> Commissioner Hemminger read the proclamation: <br /> Proclamation <br /> "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" <br /> April 2012 <br /> WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center assisted 458 survivors of sexual violence <br /> and their loved ones during 2011; and <br /> WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center works with the county's two school systems <br /> and other groups to provide students with age-appropriate information about violence <br /> prevention, reaching 10,607 youth and adults during the 2010—2011 school year; and <br /> WHEREAS, the coordination of the Orange County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) is i <br /> bringing together members of law enforcement, the medical community, the legal system, and <br /> other community advocates to improve services for survivors of sexual assault who come <br /> forward; and <br /> WHEREAS, 1 in 5 American women have been raped at some point in their lives (Centers for <br /> Disease Control and Prevention, 2010); and <br /> WHEREAS, in the United States rape is the most costly crime to its survivors, totaling $127 <br /> billion a year considering factors such as medical cost, lost earnings, pain, suffering, and lost <br /> quality of life (U.S. Department of Justice, 1996); and <br /> WHEREAS, in the United States 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men have experienced some form of <br /> sexual violence in their lives (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010); and <br /> WHEREAS, there are 17,315 sex offenders registered as living in North Carolina (Department <br /> of Justice, 2012); and <br /> WHEREAS, victim-blaming continues to be an enormous problem in instances of rape and <br /> sexual assault; and <br /> WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, a non-profit agency that has served this <br /> community since 1974, is working to stop sexual violence and its impact through support, <br /> education, and advocacy; <br /> NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, <br /> do hereby proclaim the month of April 2012 as "SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH" <br /> and encourage all residents to speak out against sexual violence and to support their local <br /> communities' efforts to prevent and respond to these appalling crimes. <br /> This the 22"d day of March 2012. <br />