Protecting Victims

SAFE and WGS Fight Back During
Sexual Assault Awareness Month

In 2006, more than 270,000 women reported being sexually assaulted. One in three women will be assaulted in their lifetime, and college girls are four times more likely to be the victim of such an attack. To raise awareness about this problem and look for solutions, the Women's and Gender Studies Club and Student Advocates for Education (SAFE) will honor Sexual Assault Awareness Month by hosting events throughout April.

A Christine Cobough exhibit is on view from April 1-15 in the Center for Culture and Gender Studies. The exhibit centers on bringing awareness toward violence against women while at the same time advocating a stop to it. Moving pictures are paired with poems from survivors of assaults, and Cobough has donated a book to the event detailing a woman's story about surviving incest.

These Hands Won't Hurt, a display presented by SAFE will be available for viewing from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. by Salazar and Stevenson Halls. This is a program for people pledging against violence. Students declare they won't use their hands to hurt another person. Participants stamp their handprints on a banner as a visual statement against sexual violence as well as sign a pledge.

On Saturday, April 12, SAFE sponsors a free self-defense training course at 11 a.m. at Elite Academy. Those who wish to participate must sign up in the Student Union prior to the event, as space is limited.

A T-shirt exhibit, The Clothesline Project is on display on Wednesday and Thursday, April 16 and 17 in the Stevenson Quad from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A visual display of t-shirts in a variety of colors honors and supports the survivors of sexual violence. Participants first find the shirt color corresponding to their experience with sexual violence and write or draw a message on the shirt. This aims to aid the survivor in healing. The shirts are displayed in the quad, providing inspiration, support, and hope for those victims of sexual violence who've yet to break the silence.

Take Back The Night, an annual rally, will be held on Thursday, May 24 at 7 p.m. in the Cooperage. The event is free, but seats are limited. Take Back the Night is dedicated to raising awareness about sexual assault and creating a supportive environment for expression and empowerment. On this night, the community is encouraged to come together to break the silence and honor those who have survived sexual violence. The event incorporates an opportunity for speeches as well as a march around campus.

A representative from United Against Sexual Assault, a community group which offers free counseling to victims of all forms of sexual assault, is planning to visit the campus sometime after Take Back The Night. He will run a workshop on sexual assault and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. More details about the event will be announced later.

For more information, contact Alyssa Messer, President of the Women's and Gender Studies Club at messeral@sonoma.edu or Katie from SAFE at 4-2217 or safe@sonoma.edu.