California 2019 2019-2020 Regular Session

California Assembly Bill ACR67 Chaptered / Bill

Filed 05/15/2019

                    Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 67 CHAPTER 57Relative to sexual assault. [ Filed with  Secretary of State  May 15, 2019. ] LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTACR 67, Blanca Rubio. Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Denim Day in California.This measure would designate the month of April 2019 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and would recognize April 24, 2019, as Denim Day in California.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO Bill TextWHEREAS, In 2017, California rape crisis centers provided direct crisis intervention services to 35,678 individuals, with 8,825 of those individuals identified as children and youth, and provided community education for 177,427 people; andWHEREAS, People of all genders and ages are victims of sexual assault, and it is estimated that nearly one in two women and one in five men experience sexual violence other than rape throughout their lifetime; andWHEREAS, The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey reports that there are over 22 million survivors of rape throughout the United States with 2 million of those survivors of rape currently living in the State of California; andWHEREAS, The Cost and Consequences of Sexual Violence in California report published by the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault reports that in 2012, an estimated 948,000 California residents were sexually assaulted; andWHEREAS, Rape and sexual assault impact people of all racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds; andWHEREAS, People of all genders and ages suffer multiple types of sexual violence, including acquaintance rape, stranger rape, sexual assault by an intimate partner, gang rape, incest, serial rape, ritual abuse, sexual harassment, child sexual molestation, prostitution, pornography, and stalking; andWHEREAS, In addition to the immediate physical and emotional costs, sexual assault survivors too frequently suffer from severe and long-lasting consequences, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, major depression, homelessness, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and suicide; andWHEREAS, The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified sexual assault as a significant, costly, and preventable health issue; andWHEREAS, A coalition of rape crisis centers and their allies, known as the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, has emerged to directly confront this crisis with the cooperation of law enforcement agencies, health care providers, institutions of higher education, and other allied professionals from Californias diverse communities; andWHEREAS, It is our responsibility to support all rape survivors by treating them with dignity, compassion, and respect; andWHEREAS, It is important to recognize the compassion and dedication of the individuals involved in this effort, applaud their commitment to foster healing, and increase public understanding of this significant problem; andWHEREAS, It is important to recognize the strength, courage, and challenges of the victims and survivors of sexual assault and their families and friends as they struggle to cope with the reality of sexual assault; andWHEREAS, It is important to recognize that not all victims of sexual assault survive, either at the time of the assault or later, due to the horrific long-term trauma that sexual assault often inflicts upon victims; andWHEREAS, There are rape prevention and education efforts underway throughout California to challenge the societal myths and behaviors that perpetuate rape and to engage communities in a common goal of ending sexual assault; andWHEREAS, It is crucial to hold perpetrators responsible for sexual attacks, and to prevent sexual violence at every opportunity; andWHEREAS, In 1998, the Italian Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a man who sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman after the court determined that, because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex; andWHEREAS, Enraged by the court decision, within a matter of hours, the women in the Italian Parliament launched into immediate action and protested by wearing jeans to work; andWHEREAS, Nations and states throughout the world have followed the lead of the Italian Parliament by designating their own Denim Day to raise public awareness about rape and sexual assault; andWHEREAS, Harmful attitudes about rape and sexual assault aFFF5BD4-47A4-430D-B408-E2D6714FE0DB">Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

 Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 67 CHAPTER 57Relative to sexual assault. [ Filed with  Secretary of State  May 15, 2019. ] LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTACR 67, Blanca Rubio. Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Denim Day in California.This measure would designate the month of April 2019 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and would recognize April 24, 2019, as Denim Day in California.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO 

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 67
CHAPTER 57

Relative to sexual assault.

 [ Filed with  Secretary of State  May 15, 2019. ] 

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

## LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

ACR 67, Blanca Rubio. Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Denim Day in California.

This measure would designate the month of April 2019 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and would recognize April 24, 2019, as Denim Day in California.

This measure would designate the month of April 2019 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and would recognize April 24, 2019, as Denim Day in California.

## Digest Key

## Bill Text

WHEREAS, In 2017, California rape crisis centers provided direct crisis intervention services to 35,678 individuals, with 8,825 of those individuals identified as children and youth, and provided community education for 177,427 people; and

WHEREAS, People of all genders and ages are victims of sexual assault, and it is estimated that nearly one in two women and one in five men experience sexual violence other than rape throughout their lifetime; and

WHEREAS, The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey reports that there are over 22 million survivors of rape throughout the United States with 2 million of those survivors of rape currently living in the State of California; and

WHEREAS, The Cost and Consequences of Sexual Violence in California report published by the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault reports that in 2012, an estimated 948,000 California residents were sexually assaulted; and

WHEREAS, Rape and sexual assault impact people of all racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds; and

WHEREAS, People of all genders and ages suffer multiple types of sexual violence, including acquaintance rape, stranger rape, sexual assault by an intimate partner, gang rape, incest, serial rape, ritual abuse, sexual harassment, child sexual molestation, prostitution, pornography, and stalking; and

WHEREAS, In addition to the immediate physical and emotional costs, sexual assault survivors too frequently suffer from severe and long-lasting consequences, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, major depression, homelessness, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and suicide; and

WHEREAS, The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified sexual assault as a significant, costly, and preventable health issue; and

WHEREAS, A coalition of rape crisis centers and their allies, known as the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, has emerged to directly confront this crisis with the cooperation of law enforcement agencies, health care providers, institutions of higher education, and other allied professionals from Californias diverse communities; and

WHEREAS, It is our responsibility to support all rape survivors by treating them with dignity, compassion, and respect; and

WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the compassion and dedication of the individuals involved in this effort, applaud their commitment to foster healing, and increase public understanding of this significant problem; and

WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the strength, courage, and challenges of the victims and survivors of sexual assault and their families and friends as they struggle to cope with the reality of sexual assault; and

WHEREAS, It is important to recognize that not all victims of sexual assault survive, either at the time of the assault or later, due to the horrific long-term trauma that sexual assault often inflicts upon victims; and

WHEREAS, There are rape prevention and education efforts underway throughout California to challenge the societal myths and behaviors that perpetuate rape and to engage communities in a common goal of ending sexual assault; and

WHEREAS, It is crucial to hold perpetrators responsible for sexual attacks, and to prevent sexual violence at every opportunity; and

WHEREAS, In 1998, the Italian Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a man who sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman after the court determined that, because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex; and

WHEREAS, Enraged by the court decision, within a matter of hours, the women in the Italian Parliament launched into immediate action and protested by wearing jeans to work; and

WHEREAS, Nations and states throughout the world have followed the lead of the Italian Parliament by designating their own Denim Day to raise public awareness about rape and sexual assault; and

WHEREAS, Harmful attitudes about rape and sexual assault aFFF5BD4-47A4-430D-B408-E2D6714FE0DB">Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.