Office of the Mayor
Proclamation
Lawrence, Kansas
WHEREAS: Nearly twenty people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner, and one in three women and one in seven men will be affected by domestic violence in their lifetime; and
WHEREAS: The city of Lawrence, Kansas places the utmost value upon the health and welfare of all of its citizens, and striven to provide a safer and healthier community; and
WHEREAS: Domestic violence includes verbal, emotional, economic, sexual, and physical abuse, and all forms of abuse carry long-term physical and mental health implications; and
WHEREAS: The effects of domestic violence reach far beyond its impacts on survivors and their abusers, causing disruption in community schools, places of work and worship, and neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS; During October 2017, the Willow Domestic Violence Center, working in partnership with local agencies, businesses, organizations, and groups sponsor and promote Domestic Violence Awareness Month to community-wide attention on survivors and their children, and to promote support of shelters and community programs.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Leslie Soden, Mayor of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, do hereby proclaim the month of October 2017, as
and urge all citizens to speak out against domestic and sexual violence, to support survivors of these heinous crimes, to encourage community leaders to hold offenders accountable, and to make prevention efforts a priority by hosting events, by creating policies at school and work, and by supporting and participating in programs designed to reduce and eventually eliminate domestic violence as a societal problem.