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WHEREAS, Pittsburgh Action Against Rape is celebrating 50 years of pursuing their vision to create a place of hope and healing for all victims of sexual violence during the month of April, which has been dedicated to promoting Sexual Assault Awareness; and,
WHEREAS, PAAR has expanded their services to provide advocacy to children who are victims of sexual assault, and integrated itself into the program, “Coaching Boys into Men”, dedicated to ending violence towards women and by creating Project Traffic Stop, now named Project RISE, which has created a drop-in center for commercially sexually exploited victims in Allegheny County to seek out services and reclaim their lives; and,
WHEREAS, PAAR was founded by a group of lawyers, health professionals, and activists who believed victims of sexual assault should have expert assistance directly following the commission of the crime in response to the rapes which occurred during the celebration of the Pittsburgh Pirates win over the Baltimore Orioles in the 1971 World Series; and,
WHEREAS, PAAR has created the legacy of being the only organization in Allegheny County solely devoted to the issue of sexual violence and became the catalyst for the Pennsylvania State Legislature to pass the first law in the nation recognizing total confidentiality in communications between victims and rape crisis counselors, known as the Rape Shield Law; and,
WHEREAS, PAAR has now expanded beyond the geographical boundaries of the City of Pittsburgh and has added the option to seek aid remotely through the use of telehealth, increasing its scope of range to help survivors; and,
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize and commend Pittsburgh Action Against Rape for its commitment to prevention and services for victims of sexual assault of all ages and congratulates PAAR for 50 years of remarkable and impactful service to the City of Pittsburgh.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 to be “PAAR Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.