SENATE RESOLUTION 59

(By Senator Weld)

[Introduced February 28, 2020]

Designating February 28, 2020, to be Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Day in West Virginia.

Whereas, All people have a right to be safe in their home, school, workplace, college campus, and community; and

Whereas, On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men; and 

Whereas, One in six women and one in 22 men in West Virginia will be victims of an attempted or completed forcible rape; and 

Whereas, During the fiscal year 2017-2018, 14,194 individuals were served by one or more of the 14 licensed domestic violence programs in West Virginia, six of which also provide rape crisis services; and 

Whereas, In West Virginia, 4,445 children were served at child advocacy centers as a new client last year, representing one in every 100 children in our state and a 69 percent increase over the last five years; and 

Whereas, Last year, 10 rape crisis centers provided 24/7 crisis intervention services in 45 counties experiencing a 159 percent increase in hotline calls answered through state funding, and providing 1,719 prevention programs to nearly 17,000 students and residents; and

Whereas, Forcible rape is the top reason for incarceration in the state adult correctional facilities, costing the taxpayers over $36 million to incarcerate inmates for sex-related crimes in the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s adult prison facilities alone for a single year; and

Whereas, The lifetime economic burden of intimate partner violence among U.S. adults is $103,767 lifetime cost per female victim and $23,414 lifetime cost per male victim; and

Whereas, Domestic and sexual violence and child abuse can be deterred, prevented, and reduced through a large network of private, public, and nonprofit entities working together as coalitions providing social, legal, medical, educational, and protective services for victims of domestic and sexual violence and child abuse; and

Whereas, The West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services have each been working for 38 years individually and collaboratively to provide safe spaces, quality services, and systemic change, and the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network has been working 10 years to give individuals, children, and families options for building lives free from violence; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate:

That the Senate hereby designates February 28, 2020, to be Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Day in West Virginia; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Senate is committed to treating this problem with the seriousness that it deserves and working to achieve solutions that deter, prevent, and reduce sexual and domestic violence; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network.