April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It's sad that we need to have a month set aside to bring awareness to these crimes, but there it is - and the reason is simple; people still don't realize how rampant sexual assault is. The organization,
Peace Over Violence, which runs the oldest rape crisis hotline in Los Angeles, is holding its 10th Annual
Denim Day in LA on April 23rd. This is a day when women are encouraged to wear denim. Why? You won't believe this; this day was inspired because of a rape conviction that was overturned by the Italian Supreme Court because in their opinion, the victim was wearing jeans - so clearly she had to have "invited" her rapist to rape her -- the court decided the victim had helped her rapist, therefore they called the rape consensual. Are you kidding me!? Is it possible that in this day and age a court could suggest such sillyness? Sadly, my friends, such false thinking still occurs. This faulty logic needs to be rebutted. Clearly we need awareness campaigns and outreach activities -- and obviously, we need education. Rape is a crime of violence. It is perpetrated against people of all ages, wearing all different types of clothing. Show solidarity with women and sexual assault victims everywhere by wearing
Denim.
Parents are good at worrying. We all do it, because parenting a child is a huge responsibility, and the world can be a complicated, difficult, and sometimes scary place. So what do you worry about? Studies show that among other things, we worry about our children's health. Millions of people are unable to afford health insurance -- there are 2.7 million uninsured people in Los Angeles alone. We're also concerned that our kids are growing up too fast, and that the media influences them in unhealthy or inappropriate ways. We're worried about sexual predators in our neighborhoods and on the internet, and afraid that environmental hazards like pesticides and pollution are threatening our children's health and vitality. In a survey conducted by the Global Strategy Group and published in Parents Magazine last fall, parents responded overwhelmingly that they felt our politicians are failing us; that our elected officials should be doing a better job of directing our tax dollars toward our kid's education, and to our nation's healthcare. However, this study also found that very few parents actually contact their local representative to voice their opinions.
As parents, we will most probably always have something to worry about. And though many problems are beyond our control, we owe to ourselves and our kids to make a stand for the things we care about, and to affect changes when we can. This requires us to make choices, and to raise our voices. Vote. Send letters and emails to your local representatives, Congressmen, Senators. Our participation is valuable, and perhaps by getting involved, we can bring about changes that will give us one less thing to worry about.
Did you realize that of all the serious crimes in the United States, sexual assault is the most common? Sad, but true. It's also the least likely to be reported. Why? Because victims are afraid they won't be believed. They're often embarrassed and ashamed because of the intensely personal nature of such attacks. Many victims also fear that they might somehow be blamed for it, or told they encouraged it in some way.
Just to be very clear, sexual assault is
never the fault of the victim. It is a crime of rage, power and control, and is committed against women, men, boys, girls-- even babies. Here's a salient bit of information that may shock you;
most assaults are committed by someone the victim knows.
Be Aware.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness month. Studies have revealed the ugly reality that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys will be sexually assaulted by time time they are 16 years old. Be prepared and preventive. Make sure your children are given sexual assault
prevention information when you talk to them about personal safety. Make sure your kids have a list of "safe" people they can talk to if someone touches them or tries to touch them in their private areas.
visit
www.kcsarc.org for more information.
