Sexual assault is a serious public health issue that impacts everyone in Los Angeles County.
Sexual violence is an umbrella term for multiple forms of violence and abuse including sexual assault. Other forms of sexual violence are
- child sexual abuse,
- incest,
- sexual coercion
- reproductive coercion,
- rape,
- sexual harassment,
- sexual exploitation, and
- stalking.
Sexual Violence & Health Equity
Like many public health issues, sexual violence is an issue of health equity and social justice. Multiple forms of oppression like racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism contribute to all forms of sexual violence. In addition to being risk factors for sexual violence, structural racism and systemic injustices, (e.g. racist and xenophobic immigration policies, economic inequalities, oppressive reproductive health laws, and unequal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare) disproportionately impact communities who are economically and socially disadvantaged, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, immigrant and undocumented individuals. Sexual violence also intersects with many other forms of violence including child abuse, domestic, intimate partner and teen dating violence, human trafficking, gang violence, dependent adult and elder abuse, among others.
While existing data likely undercounts the extent of sexual violence in our communities, the CDC reports that “over half of women and almost one in three men have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetimes”. Further, one in four women and about one in 26 men have experienced completed or attempted rape.
History of the Los Angeles County Sexual Assault Council (LAC SAC)
On April 11, 2022, the Los Angeles County Commission for Women’s Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Assault recommended that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors establish a Sexual Assault Council to coordinate a countywide response for survivors of sexual violence. The Ad Hoc committee’s report, Establishing the Los Angeles County Sexual Assault Coordinating Council, can be found here. The committee recommended a multi-disciplinary membership that includes individuals from law enforcement, crime labs, victim services, forensic nurses, rape crisis centers, prosecutors’ offices, and child protective services.
On September 27, 2022, the Board of Supervisors adopted the motion by Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Hilda L. Solis, Creating a Sexual Assault Council in Los Angeles County to Support Survivors and Prevent Sexual Violence, to establish the Los Angeles County Sexual Assault Council (LAC SAC). This motion housed the LAC SAC within the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Health Promotion Bureau, under the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP).
The Office of Violence Prevention officially launched the Los Angeles County Sexual Assault Council (LAC SAC) in April 2025. Stakeholders are currently shaping the Sexual Assault Council’s focus areas and identifying strategies to remove systemic barriers that impact service accessibility and delivery for sexual assault survivors.
