Governor's Office of Youth, Faith and Family

Governor's Office of Youth, Faith and Family

Arizona Recognizes April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April 2, 2025

PHOENIX — Governor Katie Hobbs proclaimed April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, emphasizing the importance of raising awareness, supporting survivors, and ensuring Arizona provides a clear path to justice for victims. 

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View text of the proclamation below

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WHEREAS, rape, sexual assault, and sexual violence is a public health problem that impacts every community and affects people of all genders, sexual orientations, and ages; and

WHEREAS, sexual violence can occur in person, online, or through technology, including posting or sharing sexual pictures of someone without their consent or non-consensual sexting; and

WHEREAS, nationally over half of women and almost one in three men have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetimes; and

WHEREAS, consequences may be chronic with survivors experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and recurring reproductive, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and sexual health problems; and

WHEREAS, trauma from sexual violence may impact a survivor's employment due to time off from work, diminished performance, job loss, or inability to work, which can disrupt earning power and have a long-term effect on the economic well-being of survivors and their families; and

WHEREAS, in 2023, the rape or sexual assault victimizations reported to Arizona police increased significantly from 21% in 2022 to 46%; and

WHEREAS, the Arizona Department of Public Safety indicates 2,415 sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement in 2024; and

WHEREAS, victim service and medical providers, law enforcement agencies, and court personnel across Arizona have made significant contributions to support victims and their family members in the healing process and the cycle of justice; and

WHEREAS, expanding prevention education, increasing awareness, building a strong continuum of victim services, and holding perpetrators accountable contribute to safer communities for all Arizonans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Katie Hobbs, Governor of the State of Arizona, do hereby proclaim April 2025, as   

SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH

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 thirteenth day of March
in the year Two Thousand and Twenty-Five and of the Independence
of the United States of America the Two Hundred and Forty-Ninth.

ATTEST:

SECRETARY OF STATE