Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
2 <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />Proclamation <br />"Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2008" <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center assisted 344 survivors of <br />sexual violence and their family members, friends and loved ones during 2007; <br />and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center works with the County's two <br />school systems and other groups to provide all students with age-appropriate <br />information about sexual assault prevention, reaching 9,911 children and youth <br />during the 2006 - 2007 school year; and <br />WHEREAS, the coordination of the Orange County Sexual Assault Response <br />Team (BART} is bringing together members of law enforcement, the medical <br />community, the legal system and other community advocates to improve services <br />for survivors of sexual assault who come forward; and <br />WHEREAS, 1 in 5 North Carolina women have been sexually assaulted at same <br />point in their 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, <br />totaling $127 billion a year considering factors such as medical cost, lost <br />earnings, pain, suffering and lost quality of life {U.S. Department of Justice, <br />1996}; and <br />WHEREAS, in the United States, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men have <br />experienced a completed or attempted rape at same time in their life (US <br />Department of Justice, 1998}; and <br />WHEREAS, there are 5,915 sex offenders and sexual predators registered as <br />living in North Carolina {State Bureau of Investigation, 2002); and <br />WHEREAS, the blaming of the victim continues to be an enormous problem in <br />instances of rape and sexual assault; and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, anon-profit, volunteer <br />agency which has been serving this community since 1974, is working with <br />others in the community to stop sexual violence and its impact through support, <br />education and advocacy; <br />NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of <br />Commissioners does hereby proclaim the month of April 2008 as "SEXUAL <br />ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH" and encourages all residents to speak out <br />against sexual violence and to support their local communities' efforts to prevent <br />and respond to these appalling crimes. <br />This the 18th day of March 2008 <br />Barry Jacobs, Chair <br />Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />