It's time to talk about it: April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Every two minutes, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted and 60% of these assaults are never reported to the police, making it the most underreported violent crime in America. We’ve been hearing a lot in the media about the prevalence of sexual assault and the challenges that survivors face lately; this April it’s time to move beyond the conversations and take action.

Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center (ZCenter), in Gurnee, IL, seeks to provide quality, comprehensive, client-centered services to survivors of sexual assault and abuse. During the month of April, which has been designated Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) in the United States, ZCenter is excited to partner with the Lake County Courthouse, the States Attorney’s office, Lake Forest College and the College of Lake County to raise awareness and highlight sexual assault not as a women’s rights matter, but as a social justice and human rights issue that is relevant to every gender, race, religion and sexual orientation.

To that end, ZCenter will host a number of events throughout April including:

April 24th – Denim Day: Twenty-three years ago a convicted rapist in Italy was set free when a judge argued that, “because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex.” A national movement was spawned and still continues to combat victim-blaming stereotypes. Your office can support survivors by having a Denim Day where employees can donate $1-$5 to ZCenter’s comprehensive services in order to wear jeans for the day. 

April 26th –Standing Silent Witness: ZCenter staff, volunteers and friends will standing silently for 1 hour, participants wear t-shirts bearing the personal stories of sexual assault survivors, stories that too often are invisible and unacknowledged. By standing in solidarity with survivors, scores of silent protesters bear witness to rape survivors’ unheard experiences. The public is encouraged to wear green or teal ribbons, the color of sexual assault awareness. This event offers many photo and interview opportunities.

April 28th – First Annual From Here to Healing 5K Run/Walk at Independence Grove: Putting together a company team for this run/walk is a wonderful opportunity to not only support ZCenter’s services, but also to promote team building with your organization. The maximum team size is ten individuals but feel free to foster some friendly competition by having multiple teams! Contact Stephanie at sgarrity@zcenter.org for more information or to register.

Please contact Stephanie at sgarrity@zcenter.org for more information about these events and opportunities.

Most importantly, ZCenter hopes to use SAAM as an opportunity to give survivors a platform to speak about their experiences while receiving tremendous amounts of support. Additionally, it’s a chance to communicate that there is a safe place full of resources and allies where survivors can heal at ZCenter. This April, please join ZCenter as we demonstrate that our community is ready and willing to take action against sexual violence.