Embrace Your Voice
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, with the acronym SAAM. Sexual Assault is a crime that many victims suffer from in secrecy; but with the #ME TOO movement in the wake of Harvey Weinstein and Larry Nassar, the movement has brought survivors’ voices out from the darkness to reclaim their strength. The definition in Michigan is: Sexual assault (often known as rape) is forcing or coercing an individual to engage in any non-consensual sexual contact or sexual penetration. In Michigan, the law regarding sexual assault is called the Criminal Sexual Conduct Act. It is gender neutral and includes marital, stranger, date, acquaintance, and child sexual assault, Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board, n.d. Sexual Assault effects not just the victim, but it also has a lasting effect on the family, friends, and future relationships that the survivor may have. These crimes also affect the community as a whole by alienating the survivor by the social norms of the community and the taboo stigma that is within the community. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 men will be sexually assaulted before the age of 18 years old. In most cases, 8 out of 10 times the victim knew the perpetrator of the crime. We have the power with our voice to speak up, speak out, stand up and end sexual violence.
The theme for this year’s SAAM is “Embrace Your Voice!” which brings many facets to it. An aspect is to give encouragement to survivors to come forward and reclaim their strength by telling their stories. By going to law enforcement, survivors can start putting the responsibility of the crime on the perpetrator. Their stories may encourage others to come forward as well; this helps survivors know that they are not alone. Another meaning of using your voice in starting the conversation about sexual assault, which will help eliminate the stigma of this being a taboo subject. Without the knowledge of the subjects like consent, respect, gender norms, victim blaming, and desensitization to violence, most don’t realize how these can perpetuate violent culture, or how to deal with the situation. The theme is also supposed to encourage the society as a whole to challenge the social and cultural norms that everyone is bombarded with on a daily basis. For example, advertising’s use of the tactic “sex sells.” This promotes the sexually violent culture by using women to sell the product; which makes women seem as they are nothing more than a prop or a tool to use (an object). The music that we have within our culture normalizes the sexual violence culture and desensitizes the society due to the constant messages we grow up with. Looking at the lyrics to some songs from; Ted Nugent’s “Stranglehold”, Jamie Foxx “Blame It On the Alcohol”, Frank Loesser “Baby It’s Cold Outside”, Brain McFadden “Just the Way You Are (Drunk at the Bar)”, Aqua “Barbie Girl” and Brad Paisley “I’m Still a Guy”, these promote gender norms and sexual violence. Only we have the power to change how we want our community and society to look like. Our voice has power but we must learn how to use those voices to create change.
To learn how to “Embrace Your Voice” there will be some awareness events where there will be booths with information to learn how you can use your voice and beginning the conversation. The first event is on April 7th with our “Open Mic Night” where people are encouraged to come down to the 1668 Winery and Lockside Brewery to enjoy the talents of others that want to use their voice. The event starts at 7:00 pm with some great specials. The main event for SAAM is our “Take Back/Give Back the Night” event on April 19th. This event doors will open at 5:00 pm starting with hors d’oeuvres and art exhibits located around the Art Center lobby. Directly following at 6:00 pm is an encore performance of “Good Kids”. At 7:30 pm the nationally known speaker Keith Edwards, will be presenting to the audience “Creating a Culture of Consent with a Proactive Approach to Sexual Violence Prevention.” We encourage the whole community to come to the events and participate throughout the month of April by posting pictures of you wearing teal on Tuesdays to the Sexual Violence Prevention Team - EUP page on Facebook to get an entry into the drawing for a flat screen television with an Amazon Fire Stick. You will get additional chances at the drawing for every event attended and every Teal Tuesday photo post!
When survivors, the community, and society “Embrace Your Voice” that is how we can change the cultural norms and identify the sexually violent culture that we currently live in. Like the saying about child rearing, “It takes a village to raise a child”, it is the same for creating a societal change. When we work together, that will increase awareness and decrease violence for not only one person but it betters the community as a whole. For information on how you can help please stop by our events, contact us on Facebook, call us, or reach out through our website.
- Jessica Miles, Violence Prevention Educator
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