Photo By Seaman Matthew Hobson | Leadership from various commands aboard Naval Support Activity Bethesda joined...... read more read more
Leadership from various commands aboard Naval Support Activity Bethesda (NSAB) joined together April 5 in Bldg. 17 to sign a public proclamation and pledge their dedication to eliminate sexual assault in the military as part of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM).
The theme of this year’s SAAPM is: “Eliminate Sexual Assault: Know your part. Do your part.”
“We should provide this information to our personnel and participate in activities to reinforce our personal and unit commitment to the elimination of the crime of sexual assault in the Department of Defense by following these actions,” declared Navy Capt. Marvin L. Jones, NSAB commanding officer.
• Eliminate Sexual Assault: Every service member and civilian employee, at every level in our military must know, understand, and adhere to service values and standards of behavior in order to eliminate sexual assault and other inappropriate behavior.
• Know Your Part: Each member of our DoD community has a unique role in preventing and responding to sexual assault. We must recognize our part in stopping this crime, starting with our own awareness and knowing when and where to intervene.
• Do Your Part: We have to act. If we see a crime or inappropriate behavior occurring, we need to step in to prevent it. We each need to add our voice to the call to end this crime.
The ceremony recognized NSAB Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program victim advocates.
“It’s important to understand these individuals selflessly provide 24/7 coverage,” said Jones. “They have received credentialing through the National Organization of Victim Assistance and are required to take 32 hours of refresher training annually to sharpen their skills in victim response.”
Putting an end to workplace sexual assault was one of the key points emphasized during the ceremony.
“This starts in the workplace,” said Rear Adm. David Lane, director of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. “We need to be on the lookout for sexual discrimination in the workplace; it leads to sexual harassment, which can lead to sexual assault.”
During the ceremony sexual assault survivor Navy Master Chief John Schwanke, non-medical case manager at Navy Wounded Warrior Safe Harbor, shared his story.
“It took me 20 years to go from victim to survivor,” said Schwanke. “I stand up because I refuse to be quiet.”
At the time of his assault, the SAPR program didn’t exist. He shared the benefit he sees from the program and its recent growth.
“The victim advocates help us to go from victim to survivor,” said Schwanke.
The SAPR program depends on the victim advocates. NSAB currently has 43 — one of whom is Army Maj. LaTonya Walker, who was recognized during the ceremony for being accessible for more than 1,000 hours
“I take being a victim advocate very seriously,” she said. “We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.”
In addition to the proclamation there is a “Strike Out Sexual Assault” event slated to take place at the Naval Support Activity Bethesda’s Bowling Center, April 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
| Date Taken: | 04.05.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.07.2016 09:26 |
| Story ID: | 194643 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, NSAB, Tenant Leaders Proclaim April Sexual Assault Awareness, Prevention Month, by PO1 William Phillips, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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