1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024)
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3 SENATE
3 RESOLUTION 40 By: Floyd
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7 AS INTRODUCED
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8 A Resolution recognizing April as Sexual Assault
8 Awareness Month and April 24, 2024, as Denim Day;
9 supporting Peace Over Violence and the YWCA; and
9 directing distribution.
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12 WHEREAS, April is nationally recognized as Sexual Assault
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13 Awareness Month and the Peace Over Violence organization has
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14 declared April 24, 2024, as Denim Day. Both events draw attention
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15 to the misconceptions and misinformation about sexual violence,
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16 which remains a serious issue in our society; and
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17 WHEREAS, sexual harassment is part of a continuum of violence
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18 with damaging effects that are felt throughout our culture. Harmful
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19 attitudes about all forms of sexual violence allow these issues to
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20 persist and allow victims and survivors to be revictimized; and
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21 WHEREAS, every sixty-eight seconds an American is sexually
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22 assaulted and approximately one in six women is raped during her
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23 lifetime; and
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 1 WHEREAS, in Oklahoma, the rate of rape and attempted rape among
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2 females reported to law enforcement has been 35-45% higher than the
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3 United States rate for the past decade; and
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4 WHEREAS, Oklahoma law enforcement reported 2,245 forcible and
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5 attempted rapes in 2020 - which represented 12.5% of all violent
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6 crimes - and reported rape cases have increased 21% over the past
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7 three years, and 34.2% overall since 2013; and
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8 WHEREAS, youth under eighteen years old account for about 44% of
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9 all reported sexual assaults, at least 25% of women experience
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10 sexual harassment in the workplace, and about 75% of sexual
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11 harassment victims experience retaliation when they report it; and
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12 WHEREAS, sexual violence and its unfair and traumatizing effects
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13 are preventable with proper education on the matter and
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14 comprehensive prevention projects; and
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15 WHEREAS, members of the Oklahoma State Senate strongly support
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16 the efforts of Peace Over Violence and the YWCA to educate persons
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17 in our state about the true impact of sexual harassment, abuse,
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18 assault, and rape.
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19 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE 2ND SESSION
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20 OF THE 59TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:
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21 THAT the Oklahoma State Senate recognizes the month of April as
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22 Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
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23 THAT the Oklahoma State Senate designates April 24, 2024, as
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24 Denim Day and urges everyone to wear jeans on this day to help
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 1 communicate the message that there is no excuse and there is never
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2 an invitation to harass, abuse, assault, or rape.
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3 THAT a copy of this resolution be distributed to the YWCA.
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5 59-2-3760 MB 4/17/2024 2:04:38 PM
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