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, rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment harm our communities and have widespread physical and mental health implications, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, high blood pressure and sleep loss; and
WHEREAS, statistics show that every 68 seconds someone in the United States is sexually assaulted; and
WHEREAS, around one in three females and one in four males reported their first victimization occurred between the ages of 11 and 17; and
WHEREAS, individuals with disabilities are four times more likely to be violently victimized and individuals 65 and older are seven times more likely to be violently victimized; and
WHEREAS, 63 percent of violent crimes are not reported to law enforcement; and
WHEREAS, the Arizona Department of Public Safety indicates that 2,838 rapes were reported to law enforcement in 2020; and
WHEREAS, the majority of sexual assaults are not reported to police; and
WHEREAS, victim service providers, law enforcement agencies, medical providers, and court personnel across Arizona have made significant contributions to support victims and their families throughout the healing process; and
WHEREAS, expanding prevention education, increasing awareness, building a strong continuum of victim services, and holding perpetrators accountable, can create safer communities for all Arizonans.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Douglas A. Ducey, Governor of the State of Arizona, do hereby proclaim April 2022 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 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 thirtieth day of March in the
year Two Thousand and Twenty-Two and of the Independence of the
United States of America the Two Hundred and Forty-Sixth.
ATTEST:
SECRETARY OF STATE
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