Photo By Kari Hawkins | During April, the Army Materiel Command's Sexual Harassment and Assault Awareness and...... read more read more
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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of Redstone Arsenal’s observance events for Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month in April have been taken off the calendar.
But, the need for awareness and prevention of sexual assault still makes the observance a significant outreach event for the Department of Defense, the Army and the Army Materiel Command.
“Sexual assault and harassment don’t stop because there is a health crisis in our nation,” said Kim Green, AMC’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program manager.
“Women and men are still being victimized. Sexual assault, harassment, rape and domestic violence are still issues in our society. It’s still important for us to emphasize how each of us can work together to prevent any kind of sexual assault. If we remain vigilant, together we can further reduce and even eliminate sexual assault in our Armed Forces. SAAPM is an opportunity to highlight awareness of the need to combat sexual assault within our Soldier and DoD civilian community as well as in the communities we call home.”
This year’s SAAPM theme is “Building Cohesive Teams Through Character, Trust and Resilience. Protecting Our People Protects Our Mission.” It’s a theme that strikes at the very heart of the resiliency of the Army’s Soldier and civilian workforce, Army leaders say, with character and trust the cornerstone of the cohesive teams the Army relies on for its mission success.
“Sexual assault is an act of willful fratricide. We must eliminate this scourge from the Army,” said Dr. James Helis, director of the Army’s SHARP Ready and Resilient Directorate. “It is our duty to foster a culture of trust so that members of the Army team - Soldiers, civilians and family members -- will never engage in or tolerate actions that hurt other members of the team. That culture of trust begins with engaged leaders at all levels, includes everyone on the team and is summed up when we each say with pride, ‘This is My Squad.’”
Every 98 seconds there is a sexual assault in America, according to RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) statistics. About eight in 10 sexual assaults are committed by a person known by their victim. According to the DoD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, in fiscal year 2018, 20,500 sexually assaulted or rapes were reported in the military community, victimizing 13,000 women and 7,500 men. SAPRO also reported 24.2 percent of service women and 6.3 percent of service men in fiscal year 2018 were sexually harassed, with the majority harassed by someone in their chain of command.
“Sexual assault is a crime that negatively impacts readiness, command cohesion and trust in our work environments, and extends into our communities,” Green said. “The information and tools we use to grow awareness during SAAPM is something we can build on and emphasize during the whole year.”
This year marks the 20th year of annual SAAPM observances.
“It’s linked with the growth of civil rights in our nation and is the same year that the first Crises Services Center received funding,” said Maureen Trainor, AMC’s Sexual Assault Response coordinator. “It is an observance recognized not only in our military but also at our universities and in community organizations where young people congregate. But, this isn’t only a young person’s issue. Sexual assault does not discriminate by age, race, religion or circumstance.”
Both Green and Trainor have seen a growing understanding and acceptance of the serious physical and emotional damage caused by sexual harassment and assault within both the military and throughout the nation. Such understanding is evident in recent public cases against sexual predators in the television and movie, business and sports communities.
“People are responding more and understanding they have to stand up to this type of crime,” Green said. “There is more understanding that it’s not okay for people to be violated in any way. Everyone deserves to feel safe and to know they can express themselves without reprisal. Everyone deserves to live and work in communities where dignity and respect is at the forefront.”
Changes in behavior, Trainor said, “start with awareness and accountability. It is so important to educate people on how sexual harassment and assault can harm both the individual and their community. There needs to be open conversations about what is happening and information needs to be made available so that if someone does need help they know where to get it.”
While AMC and Redstone employees won’t be able to participate in face-to-face SHARP events this month, there are virtual opportunities to grow awareness during SAAPM, Trainor said. Those opportunities are:
• Teal Tuesdays in April – Employees can participate in this national activism campaign by wearing teal on Tuesdays wherever they are, and taking a photo of themselves and sending it to the AMC SHARP Team at maureen.v.trainor.civ@mail.mil. Look for them on the AMC Facebook page.
• SAAPM Essay Contest – For the first time this year, AMC, Logistics Data Analysis Center and Security Assistance Command employees can submit an essay based on the SAAPM theme and submit it by April 22 to maureen.v.trainor.civ@mail.mil and kimberly.s.green16.civ@mail.mil. Winners will be announced on April 30.
• Denim Day, April 29 – This annual national day of awareness encourages employees to wear jeans and other denim-like clothing to show their belief that victims are not to be blamed for sexual assault because of what they are wearing. Participants can take a picture of themselves wearing denim and send it to their SHARP Team at maureen.v.trainor.civ@mail.mil. The photos will be posted on the SHARP site and participates could win a prize.
| Date Taken: | 04.07.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.17.2020 12:37 |
| Story ID: | 367703 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 112 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Fight to prevent sexual assault protects Army employees, mission, by Kari Hawkins, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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