PINWHEELS OF HOPE
Safe Berks remembers victims, calls for education for prevention
The light breeze Tuesday caught the pinwheels lining the walkways outside Safe Berks and set them spinning.
“Oh look,” Francine M. Scoboria, communications coordinator, exclaimed pointing excitedly at the whirling plastic curls bearing the Safe Berks logo and the messages: “There is hope” and “You are not alone.”
Scoboria and other members of the nonprofit’s staff gathered in the landscaped area behind the offices and safe house to kick off Sexual Assault Awareness Month by placing 250 pinwheels in the ground.
“These pinwheels symbolize local victims of sexual assault,” Scoboria said.
Pinwheels are often associated with hope and the innocence of childhood, she said.
“We want survivors of sexual assault to know they did nothing to deserve this,” Scoboria said. “No one can take away their innocence and hope.”
This is the second year Safe Berks is using pinwheels as part of the observance, which takes place throughout April.
This year’s theme is Recognizing and Remembering Victims of Sexual Assault — Known and Unknown.
“Sexual Assault Awareness Month is our time to focus the attention on the prevalence of sexual assault, honor the voices and experiences of the survivors, and equip our community with tips and resources they can use to support these survivors,” said Delio Santana, manager of education and outreach programs.
Sexual assault is sometimes viewed as a taboo subject that some hesitate to talk about, Santana said.
“However, it needs to be discussed in order to raise awareness about the issue and educate people about how to prevent it,” she said.
According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 1 in 5 women in the U.S. experience rape or attempted rape in their lifetime, and nearly 25% of men in the U.S. experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime.
A sexual assault occurs every 68 seconds in this country, and every nine minutes, the victim is a child, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.
According to RAINN, most sexual assaults are not reported to police.
“For anybody who is experiencing any type of sexual violence, we believe you. We’re here if you want help,”
said Beth Garrigan, CEO of Safe Berks.
After placing the pinwheels, Safe Berks staff watched and discussed the 2012 documentary “The Invisible War.” The award-winning film focuses on sexual assault in the U.S. military and has been credited by advocates and lawmakers for its influence on government policies aimed at reducing sexual assault in the armed forces.
Throughout the month, Safe Berks will host educational webinars in English
and Spanish on topics including digital consent and sexual assault issues in the Berks County, LGBTQ+ and Latino communities. The webinars will be on the Safe Berks Facebook page. Safe Berks staff also will share messages of support and awareness for victims of sexual assault on social media.
Each year, Safe Berks provides services to thousands of local survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, Scoboria said. Services include shelter, counseling, legal services, medical advocacy,
community outreach and response, and education.
In addition to direct services for victims of sexual assault, the organization leads a countywide Sexual Assault Response Team. Members include professionals from the county district attorney’s office, law enforcement and medical fields. The team provides compassionate, trauma-informed services to help make reporting and prosecuting sexual assault less traumatic for survivors.