April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Local officials gathered Monday, April 10, on the Walker County Courthouse steps to show they support combating sexual violence, not only in the county but across the state and nation.
Designating April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month calls attention to the fact that sexual violence is widespread and impacts every person in this community.
“It does happen in our community , said Rachel Robinson, executive director of the Sexual Assault Victim’s Advocacy Center. “It is not something people want to talk about, but there are local resources — we understand what they (victims) are going through and support them and their family members.”
Rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment harm communities everywhere. Statistics from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center show one in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 300,000 individuals annually are victims of sexual assault, Robinson said.
“And those are just the reported cases,” she said. “Sixty-four percent of women do not report sexual assault.
We are here to support the survivors.”
While not something that is often discussed, research indicates the problem is a constant.
“This is a growing problem,” Ashley Nicholson, victim advocate for the Sexual Assault Victim’s Advocacy Center that serves Catoosa, Dade and Walker counties. “we are trying to raise community awareness of this growing problem.”
It is a problem that spares no one, either because of age or gender.
Officials agree that child sexual abuse prevention must be a priority to confront the reality that one in six boys and one in four girls will experience a sexual assault before age 18, according to a study released in 2005.
Similar studies find young people experience heightened rates of sexual violence, and youth ages 12-17 were 2.5 times as likely to be victims of rape or sexual assault.
Researchers report that on campus, one in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted during their time in college.
Sexual Assault Victim’s Advocacy Center. The theme of this year’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month’s campaign is, “Engaging New Voices.”
The campaign calls on new partners and community members to help expand sexual assault prevention efforts and ensure the next generation fosters attitudes that promote healthy relationships, equality and respect.
Nicholson said staff members will be visiting area colleges to promote campus safety, will be at the Catoosa Family Collaborative later this month, are visiting local law enforcement agencies to highlight the problem and are placing teal ribbons on trees, lampposts, doors and signs throughout the community to remind everyone of this problem.
Trained staff members are ready, 24/7, to answer the Advocacy Center’s hotline, 706-419-8775, and provide advise, counseling and support.
Advocates hope that raising awareness will lead to a groundswell of action to prevent sexual violence and that each day provides an opportunity to create change for the future.