RESOLUTION NO. 230298
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Sponsor: Councilmember Ryana Parks-Shaw
RESOLUTION - Declaring April to be Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the first Wednesday of April each year to be Start by Believing Day.
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WHEREAS, Kansas City, Missouri shares a critical concern for victims of sexual violence and a desire to support their needs for justice and healing; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, the Kansas City Police Department received a total of 584 reports of sex crimes and the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) supported over 1,335 survivors of sexual violence through advocacy services, 2,958 callers on MOCSA’s 24-hour crisis line, and 1,046 survivors through counseling services, and supported victims during 700 forensic exams at area hospitals including St. Luke’s Health with St. Luke’s Health Systems providing sexual assault forensic exams to 251 survivors; and
WHEREAS, these three organizations have been in partnership in responding to victims of sexual violence together in Kansas City since 1974; and
WHEREAS, current estimates suggest no more than 25 percent of sexual assaults will be reported to law enforcement and less than 3 percent will result in the conviction and incarceration of the perpetrator; and
WHEREAS, research documents that victims are far more likely to disclose their sexual assault to a friend or family member, and when these loved ones respond with doubt, shame, or blame, victims suffer additional negative effects on their physical and psychological well-being; and
WHEREAS, the Start by Believing public awareness campaign is designed to improve the responses of friends, family members, and community professionals, so they can help victims to access supportive resources and engage the criminal justice system; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
That the Mayor and Council do support the Start by Believing public awareness campaign and do hereby declare April to be Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the first Wednesday of April each year to be Start by Believing Day; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution be spread upon the Minutes of the Council in testimony thereof and that a copy hereof be presented to MOCSA with the Mayor and Council’s best wishes and many more years of growth and service to the Kansas City community.
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