Advocates Honor Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April is Sexual Assault Awareness month, and communities across the U.S. are engaging in various activities to bring light to this issue, including San Angelo.

The Sexual Assault Awareness Month website (SAAM), states that "sexual violence affects people of all genders, ages, races, religions, incomes, abilities, professions, ethnicities and sexual orientation."

Nearly 1 in 5 women in the U.S. have experienced rape or attempted rape some time in their lives. Also, in the U.S., 1 in 71 men have experienced rape or attempted rape. An estimated 32.3 percent of multiracial women, 27.5 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native women, 21.2 percent of black women and 20.5 percent of Hispanic women were raped during their lifetimes. Additionally, 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men have experienced sexual violence victimization other than rape at some point in their lifetime.

This is why Sexual Assault Awareness is so important, said Karla Payne, executive director for the Concho Valley Rape Crisis Center.

“Sexual assault is something people don’t like to talk about, and a lot of people don’t know about it, or hear about it unless it happens to them or someone they know,” she said. “So we try to use April as a way to educate the community and raise some awareness and get people talking about it.”

By getting people talking, Payne said the hope is people will volunteer, or help prevent sexual assault by being bystanders.

To help focus on that conversation, the CVRCC will host a series of events to engage in SAAM. This past Tuesday at the City Council Regular Agenda meeting, Mayor Dwain Morrison proclaimed April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Also, April 10 through 16 is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, and CVRCC, in conjunction with the Tom Green County Coalition Against Violence, will display artwork by survivors of sexual assault.

On April 13, CVRCC will host an Open House at 36 W. Beauregard, in the basement of the Wells Fargo bank building from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

“We try to host an Open House every year so people can meet the staff and ask us about what we do,” explained Payne. “A lot of times people think all we do is work with victims, but we also do a lot of education and prevention and awareness.”

Recently, in September, CVRCC started LGBT services, so Payne said she wants to provide awareness on that as well.

“[Individuals] don’t have to be victims of sexual assault,” Payne stated. “If they’re having problems, or have questions, or just want to come in dressed the way the feel their identity is without being ridiculed, they can come and do that.”

Payne also mentioned that, on April 23 beginning at 10 a.m., CVRCC will host Walk a Mile in Her Shoes at the Tom Green County Courthouse. During this event, teams will challenge one another to raise money and walk in heels around the courthouse.

“That’s kind of a fun way to raise awareness to a serious subject,” Payne said.

Additionally, April 27^th is Denim Day, and citizens are encouraged to wear denim in support of a victim who was blamed for her sexual assault because she was wearing jeans. CVRCC staff note that schools and businesses can participate by holding a “Dollars for Denim” event where students and employees pay to wear denim.

Payne explained that she started with CVRCC in 1991 originally, and she was on staff in 1992. She left for eight years, but, upon her return, she noticed a change in how people in the Concho Valley viewed sexual assault.

“I have seen a big change,” Payne said. “I think being away for all those years kind of helped me also because I was away from it--from rape crisis, not victimization.” Payne said she worked on victimization in her private practice.

Payne noted that the biggest change she’s seen over time is a shift from risk reduction to primary prevention. Risk reduction is teaching women how to avoid dangerous situations, while primary prevention focuses on helping perpetrators not to rape.

“I am seeing that a lot more, which is really good; and in the movement, we’re trying to do that more,” Payne said.

Payne stated that many women today in San Angelo, and across the nation, still fail to report sexual assault. An estimated 63 percent of assaults are never reported to the police, and although false reporting cases of sexual violence is low, most survivors who come forward face scrutiny or barriers.

“The last set of research done showed that close to 20 percent of victims reported to police. Only 20 percent,” noted Payne. “This latest research just done in 2015 showed that just 9 percent are reporting. So that’s telling me that there is still a lot of victim blaming.”

Victim blaming is a big fight for advocates like Payne. People still say things like, “She shouldn’t have been drunk,” or, “She shouldn’t have been there.”

Payne brought up the Justice for Justin Facebook page established in the case of Justin Riordan, who was charged with Sexual Assault of a Child (click here). People on the page said the victim was “seductive” and a “hoe.”

“She was 13 years old,” Payne exclaimed. “Even if she was seductive, there’s something going on there, and the adult shouldn’t take advantage of that. So that sort of thinking is what we’re still fighting against.”

Payne said she feels victim blaming has always been there, but now people have a platform through social media to torment victims. Overall, victim blaming is a major reason why women don’t come forward. They see what happens to the victims who do, and they don’t want to go through the same ridicule.

Despite this battle, Payne said there have been some positive recent changes. In two recent trials in San Angelo, the perpetrators of sexual assault were given good sentences for their crimes.  

“I do see that,” Payne said. “We have had some problems with the D.A.’s office in the past where they wouldn’t even take the cases. And then there was that protest (in the Thomas Boden case). I kind of think that woke some people up. They’re now prosecuting more cases than they ever have.”

Payne said one of her arguments to the D.A.’s office is to let a jury decide the fate of these perpetrators.

“Everything about [the Boden] case was horrible,” she said. “But these [other] cases are proving that juries are doing their job. I’m really glad to see that.”

Payne said sexual assault has always been a problem, but people are talking about it more despite the low numbers.

“I think people are realizing how bad it is, and how severe it can be,” she said.

Payne also added that it’s important for people to start talking about sexual assault to kids at an early age. It’s important to let them know that if someone touches them in a way they don’t like, they need to tell.

“They need to focus on the telling; they need to focus on believing the victims,” Payne stated.

To learn more about SAAM, click here. For more information, or to sign up for Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, call 655-2000, or visit http://cv-rcc.org.