04/01/2016
SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH
Annual Balloon Launch
DATE: Thursday, April 14, 2016
TIME: 9:30 a.m.
LOCATION: Saint Joseph’s College Reflecting Pond
PHONE: (219) 866-2073
The Impact of Sexual Violence
Nearly 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men are victims of r**e (Black et al., 2011). But all of us are impacted by sexual violence. That’s because sexual violence affects communities and society, in addition to survivors and their loved ones. Because of this, it’s on all of us to help prevent it.
FranciscanHealth.org/Rensselaer
We would love to have the community support us on this day to start our "Start by Believing" campaign.
The campaign is called “Start by Believing”, because a friend or family member is typically the first person a victim confides in after an assault, and each person’s reaction is the first step in a long path toward justice and healing. Knowing how to respond is critical—a negative response can worsen the trauma and foster an environment where sexual assault predators face zero consequences for their crimes.
Research documents that rapists attack an average of six times, which means that one failed response can equal five more victims. “Start by Believing” will lead the way toward stopping this cycle, by creating a positive community response, informing the public, uniting allies and supporters, and improving our personal reactions. The goal is to change our community and outcomes for victims, one response at a time.