IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION recognizing the first Wednesday of each April as the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault's "Start by Believing Day" in Jackson County.
Intro
RESOLUTION NO. 21223, April 3, 2023
INTRODUCED BY Jalen Anderson, Charlie Franklin, Jeanie Lauer, Sean E. Smith, and Manuel Abarca IV, County Legislators
Body
WHEREAS, Jackson County 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, 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 St. Luke's Health Systems provided sexual assault forensic exams to 251 survivors; and,
WHEREAS, current estimates suggest no more than twenty-five percent of sexual assaults will be reported to law enforcement and less than three percent will result in the conviction and incarceration of the perpetrators; and,
WHEREAS, research documents that victims are far more likely to disclose their sexual assaults to friends or family members, 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 (a program of End Violence Against Women International) 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 County Legislature of Jackson County, Missouri, that the Legislature hereby proclaims its support of the Start by Believing public awareness campaign and does her...
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