SCR 67: Family Justice Center Day.

WHEREAS, An average of 10,000,000 cases of domestic abuse are reported to occur in the United States each year, equating to 20 people per minute; and

WHEREAS, According to the State Department of Public Health, one in five women and one in seven men have experienced some form of violence from one of their intimate partners at least once in their lifetime; and

WHEREAS, Partner violence accounts for about 20 percent of all violent crime in California and one in six victims of homicide are reportedly killed by their intimate partner; and

WHEREAS, Victimization and perpetration of sexual and domestic violence often connects to unmitigated childhood trauma and adult polyvictimization, numerous types of victimization over a lifetime, and produces short-term and long-term physical and mental health consequences; and

WHEREAS, Family justice centers (FJCs) in California provide trauma-informed, coordinated, wraparound services that bring together advocates, mental health professionals, legal supports, police officers, prosecutors, doctors, nurses, chaplains, and other professionals under one roof; and

WHEREAS, FJCs in California are represented by the California Family Justice Network (CFJN), a membership organization that provides training, statewide coordination of victim services, advocacy for survivor services and support, and sharing of best practices; and

WHEREAS, California is now leading the way toward multisector, collaborative approaches to serving domestic and sexual violence survivors and their children with 27 CFJN-affiliated FJCs operating throughout the state; and

WHEREAS, California’s FJCs serve more than 70,000 trauma survivors each year, with spikes in demand up more than 30 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, More than 20 percent of victims serviced by California’s FJCs are children; and

WHEREAS, The purpose of the CFJN is to advocate for the victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, elder abuse, dependent adult abuse, and child abuse in the State of California, and to actively work toward the prevention of those crimes, while supporting the implementation of the provisions and intent of Section 13750 of the Penal Code, which defines family justice centers. This provision seeks to ensure “that victims of abuse are able to access all needed services in one location in order to enhance victim safety, increase offender accountability, and improve access to services for victims”; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims May 19, 2025, as Family Justice Center Day in California and recognizes the lifesaving and hope-giving work of the CFJN and its 27 member centers as they work with rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, human trafficking agencies, prosecutor’s offices, law enforcement agencies, and other professionals and community-based organizations to ensure that adult and child survivors of trauma can access all of their services in one setting; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.