A week turned into a month this year.
Sexual-assault awareness at UW-Madison and Edgewood College is the goal of an expanded calendar of more than 25 April events as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
One of the major events was the first annual Conference of Healing, organized by Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment, held Saturday to educate survivors and supporters about issues surrounding sexual assault.
“I really wanted an opportunity to give all of our volunteers a conference where we explored various methods of healing,” said UW senior Angela Rose, founder of PAVE.
Various workshops were held throughout the day, covering a wide range of healing strategies such as how to reclaim one’s sexuality and achieve forgiveness.
The Conference of Healing is one of many events taking place on campus as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
According to PAVE, a 1995 survey of UW students indicated one in eight female students will be victims of sexual assault before they graduate from the university.
In addition, the fact that 12 percent of undergraduate women did not recognize they were sexually assaulted according to the legal definition indicates the lack of knowledge and need for more communication, Rose said.
In an effort to educate the general public, PAVE stresses how the issue of sexual assault affects everyone, said Dana Borowski, PAVE chair.
“This is something people don’t really talk about, but this is something that really affects everyone,” Borowski said. “One in three women in their lives will be a victim of sexual assault, and even being a non-survivor I need to learn how to be a supporter.”
The conference was not aimed solely at survivors but was also held to help educate people on how to be good supporters.
“Hopefully with what we did today they are going to know how to respond appropriately to that, because [a mistake] people make is they’ll turn around and not know how to respond, so they’ll be silent,” said Jaime Gamez, member of Men Opposing Sexual Assault.
“Having the patience to cope with what they are dealing with, being good listeners and believing what they have to say is just so important in the whole process of helping out victims and being good supporters,” he continued.
Race, sexual orientation and economic class were discussed at the conference in respect to how they are additional barriers to seeking help.
PAVE’s partnership with MOSA reflects the inclusiveness of its efforts.
Todd Kooperman, a MOSA member, said rape cannot be stopped until the general public — men, in particular — recognize sexual assault needs their support as an issue.
“In order for sexual assault to end, men must be part of the solution,” Kooperman said. “Men, in being men, have the responsibility to end sexual violence.”
Through events like the conference, discussions and educational campaigns, Rose hopes people become more willing to address the issue of sexual assault.
“In the past, sexual assault has been thought of as a ‘women’s issue,’ but it’s a human issue and it affects every single person,” Rose said.
Other Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities include:
— An antiviolence rally, noon Thursday, Library Mall
— The annual Take Back the Night Rally and March, 5 p.m. Saturday, Capitol steps
— A performance by The Wind-Up Dolls, 8 p.m. Thursday, April 25 in 165 Bascom Hall. The group is a Milwaukee-based troupe of feminist improvisational performers.
— The Silent Witness Project/Clothesline Project, April 23-26, Library Mall. The event includes visual representations of student, faculty and staff experiences with sexual assault.
In addition to special events, University Health Services, in partnership with Dane County, is continuing its “I Have the Courage, We Have the Power to Stop Sexual Assault” poster campaign that emphasizes men and women organizing to help prevent sexual assault.
Lori Henn, UW-Madison relationship violence prevention coordinator, said students, along with the Associated Students of Madison Safety Committee, have made awareness and prevention efforts a major priority.
“Students have made an incredible impact by taking up this issue,” she said. “They’re taking action and developing their own response. So many things are happening, we couldn’t fit them into a single week.”
For a complete calendar of events, visit www.uhs.wisc.edu/ex/community/assaultawarenessmonth.php
