Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Lieberknecht | 170413-N-AO823-007 PENSACOLA, Fla. (April 13, 2017) – Sailors and civilians from...... read more read more
PENSACOLA, Fla. (May 1, 2017) – Navy Medicine Operational Training Center (NMOTC) closed out its observation of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM) May 1.
April marked the start of SAAPM 2017, stressing the importance of Sailors turning knowledge into action under the banner “protecting our people protects our mission.” NMOTC commanding officer, Capt. Mark Goto, signed the proclamation April 3, promising that the command will work as a team to help stamp out sexual assault.
“This is important,” said Goto at the proclamation signing. “I love the camaraderie we have, and I know we’re going out there and making our corner of the world better and better.”
To kick off SAAPM, civilians were encouraged to wear the color teal every Tuesday of the month. Wearing the color teal is the result of a study that began in 2000 by the Resource Sharing Project and National Sexual Violence Resource Center, which found that the color was most commonly associated as the symbol for sexual assault awareness and prevention.
“This is the only location where I’ve ever done that,” said Kathie White, from the NMOTC human resource office. “Wearing (teal) made it a more constant reminder.”
NMOTC Sailors decorated the work place with flyers, magnets and posters aimed to spread awareness and make available additional information such as SAAPM resources and hotlines. Each office and much of the hallways contained teal and white posters with facts, figures and statistics as well as options for aid or support.
“We tried to create a more highly visible environment,” said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Justin Lawley, an NMOTC Sexual Assault and Prevention (SAPR) victim advocate. “Now we have a more visual and accessible program.”
On April 14, the Sailors and civilians also participated in “Denim Day.” In the U.S. the practice began in Los Angeles, California, in April 1990 and was designed to spread the message against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault. The campaign was originally started in response to a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that because the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped her rapist remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. Enraged by the verdict, women in the Italian Parliament protested the following day by wearing jeans to work.
Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Brandon Moore said that he had heard a very short version of the Denim Day story before, but this was the first time he was aware of the full account.
“I think it was a great idea to help spread awareness,” said Moore. “After hearing the full story, I told my wife about it, and she agreed that it was a nice way for the command to participate.”
SAAPM officially ended with the close of April, but the NMOTC SAPR team continuously shares information and guidance on a year-round basis. Looking ahead, the team looks to increase the amount of awareness brought to the command and its family of both Sailors and civilians.
“It was important to me to make sure we got the whole NMOTC family was involved, military and civilian alike,” said Chief Hospital Corpsman Shannon Kirby, NMOTC SAPR team member. “I don't think this should end with the month of April. We will continue to raise awareness and keep everyone cognizant of available resources throughout the year."
NMOTC is part of the Navy Medicine team, a global health care network of Navy medical professionals around the world who provide high-quality health care to more than one million eligible beneficiaries. Navy Medicine personnel deploy with Sailors and Marines worldwide, providing critical mission support aboard ships, in the air, under the sea, and on the battlefield.
For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.
For more news from NMOTC, visit http://www.navy.mil/local/NMOTC/.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 05.02.2017 15:45 |
| Story ID: | 232310 |
| Location: | PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 100 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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