WHEREAS, In 2019, California rape crisis centers provided direct crisis intervention services to 40,039 individuals and provided community education for 179,061 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, According to ValorUS, formerly the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, an estimated one million California residents are known to be sexually assaulted each year; 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, sexual harassment, child sexual abuse, sex trafficking, 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 post-traumatic 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 ValorUS, continues to directly confront this crisis with the cooperation of community advocates, health care providers, institutions of higher education, law enforcement, 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 allow these crimes to persist and allow survivors to be revictimized through victim-blaming attitudes and sometimes unresponsive government systems; and

WHEREAS, California is a national leader in promoting victim-centered approaches within the judicial, criminal justice, medical, rape crisis, and health communities; and

WHEREAS, In 2021, California joined the States of New Hampshire and Florida in fulfilling the promise of Denim Day by approving and enacting Assembly Bill 939 (Chapter 529 of the Statutes of 2021), which prohibits a survivors manner of dress from serving as evidence of consent in sexual assault cases; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate designates the month of April 2024 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate recognizes April 24, 2024, as Denim Day in California and encourages everyone to wear jeans on that day to help communicate the message that there is no excuse for, and never an invitation to commit, rape; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

WHEREAS, In 2019, California rape crisis centers provided direct crisis intervention services to 40,039 individuals and provided community education for 179,061 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, According to ValorUS, formerly the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, an estimated one million California residents are known to be sexually assaulted each year; 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, sexual harassment, child sexual abuse, sex trafficking, 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 post-traumatic 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 ValorUS, continues to directly confront this crisis with the cooperation of community advocates, health care providers, institutions of higher education, law enforcement, 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 allow these crimes to persist and allow survivors to be revictimized through victim-blaming attitudes and sometimes unresponsive government systems; and

WHEREAS, California is a national leader in promoting victim-centered approaches within the judicial, criminal justice, medical, rape crisis, and health communities; and

WHEREAS, In 2021, California joined the States of New Hampshire and Florida in fulfilling the promise of Denim Day by approving and enacting Assembly Bill 939 (Chapter 529 of the Statutes of 2021), which prohibits a survivors manner of dress from serving as evidence of consent in sexual assault cases; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate designates the month of April 2024 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate recognizes April 24, 2024, as Denim Day in California and encourages everyone to wear jeans on that day to help communicate the message that there is no excuse for, and never an invitation to commit, rape; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

 THIRD READING 

Bill No: SR 89

Author: Rubio (D), et al.

Introduced: 4/16/24

Vote: Majority

SUBJECT: Sexual Assault Awareness Month

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This resolution designates the month of April 2024 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative findings:

1. 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. According to ValorUS, formerly the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, an estimated one million California residents are known to be sexually assaulted each year.
2. In addition to the immediate physical and emotional costs, sexual assault survivors too frequently suffer from severe and long-lasting consequences, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, major depression, homelessness, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and suicide.
3. It is crucial to hold perpetrators responsible for sexual attacks and to prevent sexual violence at every opportunity.
4. 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”. 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.
5. 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.
6. In 2021, California joined the States of New Hampshire and Florida in fulfilling the promise of Denim Day by approving and enacting Assembly Bill 939 (Chapter 529 of the Statutes of 2021), which prohibits a survivor’s manner of dress from serving as evidence of consent in sexual assault cases.

This resolution:

1. Designates the month of April 2024 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
2. Recognizes April 24, 2024, as Denim Day in California and encourages everyone to wear jeans on that day to help communicate the message that there is no excuse for, and never an invitation to commit, rape.

Comments

According to the author, “Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Denim Day present a chance to don jeans with purpose, standing in solidarity with survivors and deepening our understanding of various forms of sexual violence. Rape and sexual assault impact everyone and is perpetuated by damaging attitudes that wrongly assign blame to survivors. As a survivor of domestic violence, I understand the profound trauma and the societal pressures of silence that often ensues after sexual assault or violence. It's crucial we listen to survivors' voices as they courageously share their stories and stand up for those unable to speak up for themselves”.

Related/Prior Legislation

The following are the most recent measures recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month and “Denim Day”:

• SCR 44 ( Caballero, Resolution Chapter 81, Statutes of 2023).
• HR 14 (Cervantes, 2023) – Adopted by the Assembly.
• HR 81 (Cervantes, 2022) – Adopted by the Assembly.
• HR 38 (Carrillo, 2021) – Adopted by the Assembly.
• SR 28 (Rubio, 2021) – Adopted by the Senate.
• SCR 39 (Rubio, 2020) – Died in the Assembly Rules Committee.
• ACR 67 (Blanca Rubio, Resolution Chapter 57, Statutes of 2019).

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No

SUPPORT: (Verified 4/23/24)

None received

OPPOSITION: (Verified 4/23/24)

None received

Prepared by: Russell Manning / SFA / (916) 651-1520

4/24/24 13:52:53

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