Sexual Assault Awareness Month

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Airman 1st Class Britany Huffman hangs a ribbon to a tree on the corner of Wright Brothers Avenue and Andrews Street promoting Sexual Assault Awareness Month here April 14, 2010. The goal of SAAM is to raise public understanding about sexual violence and educate communities and individuals on how to prevent it. Airman Huffman is an ammo line delivery technician with the 4th Equipment Maintenance Squadron. She hails from Gretna, Va. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ciara Wymbs)

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Nancy Pike staples a teal ribbon to a tree promoting Sexual Assault Awareness Month April 14, 2010. With 3,230 ribbons placed on the tree, each ribbon represented a reported sexual assault in fiscal year 2009. Mrs. Pike is the 4th Fighter Wing sexual assault response coordinator and hails from Fayetteville. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ciara Wymbs)

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Published April 22, 2010
By Senior Airman Ciara Wymbs
4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- What began as a week promoting sexual assault awareness, over time became a month-long campaign focusing attention on sexual violence. April is now recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The goal of the annual campaign is to raise public awareness about sexual violence and educate communities and individuals on how to prevent it. Verbal harassment, intimidation, molestation and rape are all types of sexual assault. While these crimes often go unreported they can still leave emotional and physical scars.

Many times, sexual assault crimes go unreported, unnoticed or unknown for years, leaving a victim emotionally unstable and unable to re-adjust to a normal life. Some victims are often afraid to report the crime due to a fear of not being believed, while others do not want anyone to know what happened.

Statistics show approximately one in six women and one in 33 men will experience an attempted or completed rape at some point in their life, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

According to Department of Defense officials, the nearly seven percent of women and two percent of men who attested they experienced unwanted sexual contact chose not to report it.
Among the Air Force population in 2009, 93 percent of sexual assault reports were made by female Airmen. More than three quarters of the victims held the rank of staff sergeant and below. In combat areas there were 279 reports; a 16 percent rise from 2008.

Airmen reported 546 sexual assaults during fiscal year 2009 compared to 607 reports in 2008, an 11 percent decrease. Despite this trend, since 2008 service members filed more than 3,000 restricted and unrestricted reports of sexual assaults.

Sexual assault prevention is everyone's responsibility. We can all support victims when it happens and bring those who are responsible to justice. Each of us has the responsibility to report, stop and prevent sexual assault from happening.

For more information on sexual assault prevention or awareness, call the sexual assault coordinator at 722-0155. To report a sexual assault call 722-7272 or the 24-hour cell at (919)-920-7272.