RESOLUTION NO. 180294

Honoring the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault as an invaluable resource in Kansas City and recognizing the first Wednesday in April as Start by Believing Day.

WHEREAS, the City of Kansas City, Missouri shares a critical concern for victims of sexual violence and a desire to support their needs for justice and healing; and

WHEREAS, in 2017, the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) provided advocacy and crisis line services to 2,297 survivors of sexual assault and the Kansas City Police Department’s Special Victim’s Unit investigated approximately 566 victim reports of sexually based offenses; and

WHEREAS, KCPD and MOCSA have been in partnership in responding to victims of sexual violence together in Kansas City since 1975; and

WHEREAS, the City of Kansas City was the first city in the country to launch the Start by Believing campaign; and

WHEREAS, current estimates suggest no more than 1 in 5 of sexual assaults will be reported to law enforcement and less than 3 percent will result in the conviction and incarceration of the perpetrator; and

WHEREAS, research documents that victims are far more likely to disclose their sexual assault to a friend or family member, 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 additional supportive professional resources and engage the criminal justice system; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:

That the Mayor and Council support the Start By Believing public awareness campaign and do hereby declare the first Wednesday of April each year to be Start by Believing Day throughout Kansas City, Missouri; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution be spread upon the Minutes of the Council in testimony thereof and that a copy hereof be presented to the representatives of MOCSA in recognition by the Mayor and Council.

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