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<br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
<br /> PROCLAMATION
<br /> DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH 2O24
<br /> WHEREAS, domestic violence is a pattern of behaviors used by someone to maintain power and
<br /> control in an intimate or family relationship; and
<br /> WHEREAS, domestic violence encompasses not only physical abuse, but also emotional, verbal,
<br /> financial, sexual, or digital abuse, isolation, and/or stalking; and
<br /> WHEREAS, domestic violence disproportionately impacts racial and ethnic minorities, undocumented
<br /> people, women, trans and gender non-conforming people, and disabled people; and
<br /> WHEREAS, racism, sexism, xenophobia, transphobia, ableism, and other forms of oppression and
<br /> discrimination perpetuate domestic violence and make seeking safety and stability more difficult for
<br /> marginalized survivors; and
<br /> WHEREAS, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, on average nearly 20
<br /> people per minute are abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates
<br /> to more than 10 million people; and
<br /> WHEREAS, in North Carolina, according to the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, at
<br /> least 73 individuals were murdered by a current or former intimate partner in 2023 and at least 63 have
<br /> been murdered so far in 2024; and
<br /> WHEREAS, at least two Orange County residents have been murdered so far this year by a current or
<br /> former intimate partner or family member; and
<br /> WHEREAS, Compass Center, the state-designated domestic violence service provider for Orange
<br /> County, serves more than 1,300 survivors of domestic violence each year through its 24-hour domestic
<br /> violence crisis line, support groups, court and community advocacy, Latinx programs, career and
<br /> financial counseling, and other services and engages thousands more in prevention education and
<br /> outreach; and
<br /> WHEREAS, Compass Center has collaborated with numerous local agencies over the last two years
<br /> to bring the Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) Program to Orange County, which trains first
<br /> responders to screen for lethality risk factors and directly connect highest-risk victims to the Compass
<br /> Center, and is now receiving on-scene referrals from LAP-trained officers with the Orange County
<br /> Sheriff's Office, and the Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough police departments; and
<br /> WHEREAS, preventing domestic violence requires the collective awareness, care, and action of
<br /> individuals, institutions, and systems to transform our communities through social norms, policies, and
<br /> laws that reject violence and abuse and promote healthy relationships based on respect, trust, and
<br /> equity;
<br /> NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, do hereby proclaim
<br /> October 2024 to be:
<br /> "Domestic Violence Awareness Month"
<br /> and encourage the residents of Orange County to observe this time in ways appropriate to its
<br /> importance and significance.
<br /> Proclaimed this the 1st day of October, 2024.
<br /> Jamezetta Bedford, Chair
<br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners
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