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2 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> Proclamation <br /> "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" <br /> WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center assisted over 700 survivors of sexual <br /> violence,their loved ones,and community professionals during 2018;and <br /> WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center works with the county's two school <br /> systems and other groups to provide students with age-appropriate information about violence <br /> prevention,reaching over 17,500 youth and adults each year;and <br /> WHEREAS, the coordination of the Orange County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) is <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 sexually assaulted at some point in their lives <br /> (Centers for 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 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of <br /> sexual or physical violence committed by an intimate partner (Centers for Disease Control and <br /> Prevention,2010);and <br /> WHEREAS,there are more than 18,000 sex offenders registered as living in North Carolina (NC <br /> State Bureau of Investigation, 2019);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 nonprofit 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 2019 as "SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS <br /> MONTH," and encourage all residents to speak out against sexual violence and to support their <br /> local community's efforts to prevent and respond to these appalling crimes. <br /> This the 2nd day of April 2019. <br /> Penny Rich,Chair <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />