Proclamation
DECLARING OCTOBER 2023 AS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH WHEREAS, October is annually recognized as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month; and WHEREAS, policymakers and communities must work together to transform the conditions that cause domestic violence and support survivor-centered solutions; and WHEREAS, domestic violence programs in California provide essential, lifesaving services for survivors, their children, and communities; and WHEREAS, there is a need to support and amplify prevention programs and community-based strategies to create healthy environments and decrease the likelihood or perpetration, thereby stopping domestic violence from occurring in the first place; and WHEREAS, all survivors deserve access to culturally responsive programs and services to increase their safety self-sufficiency; and WHEREAS, the marginalization of certain groups in society, including undocumented individuals, transgender individuals, and people living with disabilities, increases their vulnerability to domestic violence; and WHEREAS, 54% of transgender and gender non-conforming people have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime; and [1] WHEREAS, approximately 35% of California women and 31% of California men experience physical intimate partner violence in their lifetimes; and WHEREAS, there were 84 domestic violence-related homicides in California in 2023, of which 63 of the fatalities were female, and 21 were male; and [2] WHEREAS, domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families in the United States; and [3] WHEREAS, children exposed to domestic violence can experience long-term consequences including difficulty at school, substance abuse, behavioral problems in adolescence, and serious adult health problems; and [4] WHEREAS, in Fiscal Year 2022-23, domestic violence shelter programs served 13,370 individuals in shelters and served 54,521 individuals through non-shelter supportive services; and [5] WHEREAS, Project Sanctuary’s mission is to provide trauma informed, supportive services, by offering a 24-hour hotline to victims/survivors, responding to emergency calls, offering support, and empowering those impacted by domestic violence to chart their own journey for healing.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, I, Bernie Norvell, Mayor of the City of Fort Bragg, join Project Sanctuary in the belief that all community members must be part of the solution to end sexual violence. Along with the United States Government and State of California, I do hereby proclaim October as “Domestic Violence Awareness Month.” SIGNED this 10th day of October, 2023
BERNIE NORVELL, Mayor
ATTEST:
Cristal Munoz, Acting City Clerk
No. 11-2023
[1] 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey https://www.transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/USTS-Full-Report-FINAL.PDF [2] "Homicide in California 2022." California Department of Justice, Division of California Justice Information Services, Bureau of Criminal Information and Analysis, Criminal Justice Statistics Center: 2023. https://data-openjustice.doj.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/Homicide%20In%20CA%202022f.pdf [ [3] “Domestic Violence”, National Alliance to End Homelessness, http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/domestic_violence [4] “Intimate Partner Violence”, National Child Traumatic Stress Network, http://www.nctsn.org/content/children-and-domestic-violence [5] 2023 Cal OES Joint Legislative Budget Committee Report, https://www.caloes.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/Grants/Documents/2023_JLBC.pdf