Photo By Master Sgt. Teddy Wade | From left, U.S. Army Col. Doc Holliday, garrison commander for Redstone Arsenal; Lt....... read more read more
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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- There is no room in the Army for any form of sexual assault.
Leaders, Soldiers and Department of the Army Civilians convened in the Bob Jones Auditorium April 2 to kick off Team Redstone’s Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
Hosted by Army Materiel Command’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program manager, Kimberly S. Green, the event began with keynote remarks from AMC Commanding General, Gen. Gus Perna.
“Treating people with dignity and respect is embodied in what we do. Any other approach is unacceptable and should not be tolerated by anybody. We should not turn a blind eye or accept it because it was the practice of the old,” Perna told the audience.
Following Perna’s remarks, Becky Cecil, from Crisis Services of North Alabama, outlined the no-cost services available to Tennessee Valley residents, including a 24/7 help line, trained forensic nurses and advocates who will stay with a sexual assault victim throughout exams and will guide them toward crisis counseling or support groups, whichever fits the individual best.
“We’re here to do whatever we can. I think all of us at Crisis Services hopes to one day be out of a job, and no one will ever need us—that is, there are no sexual assaults, no domestic violence. There will be no one in crisis. But that’s not the reality. The reality is there are sexual assaults in our community. Last year, almost 500 people came to the center to obtain a rape kit,” Cecil said.
“That’s more than one per day.”
Team Redstone SHARP professionals then introduced themselves, and each provided a statistic pertaining to the observance. Maureen Trainor, AMC’s Sexual Assault Response Coordinator said every day on average, a sexual assault is committed every 98 seconds in the United States, or more than 800 people deal with sexual abuse per day.
U.S. Army Security Assistance Command’s Jennifer Blatter, a credentialed sexual assault response coordinator and program manager, noted that 13 percent of female rape supervisors will attempt suicide, and that seven out of 10 people who were raped know their attacker. Army Aviation and Missile Command’s Jared Tarver added that about 63 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to police.
That puts the onus on bystanders to take action if they observe a crime being committed, the SHARP professionals emphasized.
“If you see something going on, bring it to someone’s attention. And if they don’t do anything about it, bring it to mine,” Perna said.
The event closed with Col. Thomas “Doc” Holliday, Garrison Commander, who said, “Sexual assault is an affront to Army Values, and inappropriate behaviors are not condoned or tolerated.”
SHARP events continue throughout the month. For example, on April 4, Sherry Brown, the director of Restoration Counseling in Cullman, shared her story in two events hosted by AMC’s Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Allan W. Elliott. There will be a Zumbathon 6:30-8 a.m. April 18 at Pagano Gym, and on April 19, the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command will host a SHARP and Wellness scavenger hunt, where teams of five will search for clues as they learn more about prevention. And from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. April 26, the SHARP team will have a booth on display at Team Redstone Protection Day.
“But remember, this month is not the only time we should think about Sexual Assault and prevention. It needs to be on the forefront of our minds all year,” Trainor said.
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 04.05.2018 16:44 |
| Story ID: | 271963 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 99 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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