As the first week of April comes to a close, I hope you all are wearing your teal in order to help raise awareness for sexual assault. One easy way to do this is through nail polish color. When someone comments on your nails it can open up a conversation about how April is sexual assault awareness month. (Idea credit goes to my victimology professor.)
In addition to wearing teal, I also want to highlight a new organization this month that is doing something to raise awareness about this issue.
Before I announce this organization, however, I want to discuss the unfortunate reality that we must keep in mind this month. Many people are wary of talking about sexual assault at all. I was particularly faced with this when some close family friends- who wanted to promote my app- referred to the charity as a ‘women's charity’, rather than calling it as it is. It revealed to me just how scared some people are to use the words ‘sexual assault’ in a sentence. Also, those two words revealed another misconception many people share. The assumption revealed through calling it a 'women’s charity' is this:
1. Only women are victims of sexual assault.
2. Only women should be concerned with this issue.
I hope these hidden statements shock you as much as they shock me, because they both are completely false. Both women AND men unfortunately can be victims of sexual assault. Also, this is not an issue for just women, it is an issue for our nation, and one that we should not delay in solving. One in three women have experienced some kind of sexual contact violence in their lifetime. (nsvrc.org) That’s someone you know and most likely care about, if not yourself.
With this in mind I would like to highlight an amazing organization who works tirelessly to end these misconceptions. An international organization called Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is a run tag-lined as: The International Men's March to Stop Rape. Many cities have their own version of this race every April where men walk red pumps in order to promoted awareness about sexual assault. Registering for the race also raises money for victim advocacy. This has turned into a global event that multiple countries now participate in. You can find more information or look for a race near you to participate in here: http://www.walkamileinhershoes.org/