District Of Columbia 2025-2026 Regular Session

District Of Columbia Council Bill CER26-0027 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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2	2	______________________________ ______________________________ 1
3	3	Councilmember Charles Allen Councilmember Brooke Pinto
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9	9	A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
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16	16	IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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24	24	To declare the month of April 2025 as “Sexual Assault Awareness Month” in the District of 16
25	25	Columbia, and to urge residents to show their support for victim-survivors and work to 17
26	26	prevent sexual assault, abuse, harassment, online harassment, and sex trafficking. 18
27	27	19
28	28	WHEREAS, in 1978, the first “Take Back the Night” events in the United States were held 20
29	29	in San Francisco and New York City; 21
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31	31	WHEREAS, the movement that developed in the United States was created in the wake of 23
32	32	the civil rights movement, and was buoyed by Black women’s activism to disrupt the persistent 24
33	33	and systemic sexual violence they experienced; 25
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35	35	WHEREAS, the month of April has been designated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month 27
36	36	in the United States and was first observed nationally in April 2001, after the alarming statistics of 28
37	37	sexual assault and underreporting became more apparent; 29
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39	39	WHEREAS, sexual assault awareness includes prevention and advocacy efforts to address 31
40	40	various forms of sexual violence, including child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, online sexual 32
41	41	harassment, sex trafficking, and rape; 33 2
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43	43	WHEREAS, sexual assault awareness activities have expanded to include the issues of 35
44	44	sexual violence against men and men’s participation in ending sexual violence; 36
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46	46	WHEREAS, sexual violence exists on a spectrum of behaviors, ranging from verbal 38
47	47	harassment to online harassment to sexual assault, and it is imperative to recognize that sexual 39
48	48	harassment in the workplace is a pervasive, yet often overlooked, manifestation of sexual violence; 40
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50	50	WHEREAS, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, every 68 seconds, 42
51	51	someone in the United States is sexually assaulted; 43
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53	53	WHEREAS, according to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 39% 45
54	54	of women will have experienced sexual assault at some point in their lifetimes in the District of 46
55	55	Columbia; 47
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57	57	WHEREAS, according to the National Center for Victims of Crimes, victim-survivors of 49
58	58	child sexual abuse have higher rates of being sexually assaulted again as adults, with children who 50
59	59	had an experience of rape or attempted rape in their adolescent years being 13.7 times more likely 51
60	60	to experience rape or attempted rape in their first year of college; 52
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62	62	WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among adult 54
63	63	women surveyed, 22% of Black, 26.9% of American Indian/Alaska Native, 22% of non- Hispanic 55 3
64	64	Black, 18.8% of non- Hispanic White, 14.6% of Hispanic, and 35.5% of women of multiple races 56
65	65	experienced an attempted or a completed rape at some time in their lives; 57
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67	67	WHEREAS, according to the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, 23% of 59
68	68	Asian/Pacific Islander women experience some form of contact sexual violence; 60
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70	70	WHEREAS, according to research published by the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law 62
71	71	and Policy, married immigrant women experience higher levels of physical and sexual abuse than 63
72	72	unmarried immigrant women, at rates of 59.5% compared to 49.8%, respectively; 64
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74	74	WHEREAS, according to the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, 12% 66
75	75	of transgender youth report being sexually assaulted in K–12 settings by peers or educational staff, 67
76	76	13% of African-American transgender people surveyed were sexually assaulted in the workplace, 68
77	77	and 22% of homeless transgender individuals were assaulted while staying in shelters; 69
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79	79	WHEREAS, according to the National Sexual Violence Research Center, lesbian, gay, 71
80	80	bisexual, and queer people were three times more likely to report sexual violence or harassment 72
81	81	compared to heterosexual people; 73
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83	83	WHEREAS, in deaf communities, r eliance on interpreters may create challenges, as some 75
84	84	sexual assault survivors feel like their private experiences are not correctly represented and feel 76
85	85	uncomfortable reporting their assault to a stranger outside of their community; 77
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87	87	WHEREAS, the rate of sexual assault against people with disabilities was three times that 79
88	88	of people without disabilities; 80
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90	90	WHEREAS, according to the Administration for Children and Families, racial and ethnic 82
91	91	minorities, communities exposed to multigenerational trauma, individuals with a history of 83
92	92	substance abuse or leaving home, homeless youth, people with lived experience of poverty, and 84
93	93	children in the child welfare system, as well as those with a history of sexual abuse, are identified 85
94	94	as some of the groups most vulnerable to human trafficking; and 86
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96	96	WHEREAS, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Task Force on the Study 88
97	97	of Harassment in the Workplace found that 45% of all workplace harassment complaints filed in 89
98	98	Fiscal Year 2015 were based on sex, and that sexual harassment victim-survivors experience 90
99	99	detrimental psychological and physical health effects. 91
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101	101	RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 93
102	102	resolution may be cited as the “Sexual Assault Awareness Month Recognition Resolution of 94
103	103	2025”. 95
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105	105	Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia declares the month of April 2025 as “Sexual 97
106	106	Assault Awareness Month” in the District of Columbia and urges residents to show their support 98
107	107	for victim- survivors and work to prevent sexual assault, abuse, harassment, online harassment, and 99
108	108	sex trafficking. 100
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110	110	Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 102