PHOENIX — Former Governor Doug Ducey proclaimed the month of April to be Sexual Assault Awareness Month to raise awareness about sexual assault, provide support for survivors, and strive to achieve a state where sexual assault victims have a clear path to justice, and our communities, families, and children are protected.
View text of the proclamation below
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WHEREAS, sexual violence is a dehumanizing form of abuse that harms our communities; and
WHEREAS, rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment have extensive and widespread physical and mental health implications, including post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, depression, homelessness, eating disorders, and suicide; and
WHEREAS, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact at some point in their lives; and
WHEREAS, individuals with disabilities are 2.5 times more likely to be violently victimized; and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 43.2% of females and 51.3% of males first experienced victimization prior to age 18; and
WHEREAS, 66% of women and 36% of men report knowing their perpetrator; and
WHEREAS, 67% of victims under the age of 18 identified their perpetrator as a family member and 79% said they were currently living with that perpetrator; and
WHEREAS, the Arizona Department of Public Safety indicates that 3,162 rapes were reported to police in 2019; and
WHEREAS, 59% of violent crimes are not reported to law enforcement; and
WHEREAS, through prevention education, awareness efforts, a strong continuum of victim services, and holding perpetrators responsible for their actions, we can work together to better address sexual violence and create safer communities for all Arizonans; and
WHEREAS, through collaborative efforts, individuals, agencies, organizations, and communities can work together to prevent sexual assault and support victims and survivors.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Douglas A. Ducey, Governor of the State of Arizona, do hereby proclaim April 2021 as
SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH
and encourage all citizens, parents, governmental agencies, public and private institutions, businesses, hospitals, schools, and colleges in the state of Arizona to join together and raise awareness about sexual assault, provide support for survivors, and strive to achieve a state where sexual assault victims have a clear path to justice, and where our communities, families, and children are protected.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused
to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Arizona
GOVERNOR
DONE at the Capitol in Phoenix on this Sixteenth day of March in
the year Two Thousand and Twenty-One and of the Independence
of the United States of America the Two Hundred and Forty-Fifth.
ATTEST:
SECRETARY OF STATE
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