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"Sexual Assault Awareness Month Proclamation" <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center assisted 434 survivors of sexual violence <br />and their family members, friends and loved ones during the 2004 - 2005 fiscal year; and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center works with the county's two school systems <br />to provide all students with age-appropriate information about sexual assault prevention, <br />reaching 9,007 children and youth during the 2004 - 2005 school year; and <br />WHEREAS, the coordination of the Orange County Sexual Assault Response Team {BART} is <br />bringing together law enforcement, the medical community, the legal system and other <br />community advocates to improve services for survivors of sexual assault; and <br />WHEREAS, 1 in 5 North Carolina women have been sexually assaulted at some point in their <br />lives (NC Department of Health and Human Services, 1999}; 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, last earnings, pain, suffering and lost <br />quality of life {U.S. Department of Justice, 1996); and <br />WHEREAS, in the United States, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men have experienced a completed <br />or attempted rape at some time in their life {US Department of Justice, 1998); and <br />WHEREAS, persons with disabilities in North Carolina experience sexual assault at a rate 4 <br />times higher than persons without disabilities {Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, <br />2000-2001); and <br />WHEREAS, there are 5,915 sex offenders and sexual predators registered as living in North <br />Carolina (State Bureau of Investigation, 2002}; and <br />WHEREAS, the blaming of the victim continues to be an enormous problem in instances of rape <br />and sexual assault; and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, anon-profit, volunteer agency which has <br />been serving this community since 1974, is working with others in the community to stop sexual <br />violence and its impact through support, education and advocacy; <br />NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, <br />da hereby proclaim the month of April 20Q6 as "SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH" <br />and encourage all Orange County residents to speak out against sexual violence and to support <br />their local communities' efforts to prevent and respond to these appalling crimes. <br />This the 10th day of April 2006. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Gordan, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to <br />approve proclaiming April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Orange County and authorize <br />the Chair to sign. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />