Recognizing April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Celebrating the Extraordinary Efforts of WOAR - Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence.

Recognizing April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Celebrating the Extraordinary Efforts of WOAR - Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence. WHEREAS, Since 2001, April has been observed as National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This observed month is part of an annual campaign to raise public awareness about sexual assault and educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence; and WHEREAS, In Philadelphia, 1,721 incidents of sexual assault and rape were reported in 2024. The police made 47 arrests in relation to these reports of rape. However, just one third of sexual assault cases are reported to the police. 63% of sexual cases are not reported to the police; and WHEREAS, 1 in 4 women are survivors of sexual violence, 1 in 10 children are survivors of sexual violence, and 1 in 6 men are survivors of sexual violence. We still know that sexual assault is the most underreported crime to date we know that sexual assault disproportionately affects communities that sit on the margins; and WHEREAS, On average, there are 321,500 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States. Every 98 seconds someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted; and WHEREAS, Throughout the last twenty years this country has made great strides in bringing awareness to survivors of sexual assault. Historically, we have seen a culture that has been marked by veil, secrecy, and silence. Today we see a culture that is marked with empowerment, a…