Pee Dee Coalition starts campaign to engage men
In recognition of April as Sexual Assault Awareness month, the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault (PDC) is launching an appeal to men to support sexual assault prevention efforts across the region. In the 100 Man Campaign, PDC asks leaders across the region to each donate $100, or more, for sexual assault prevention services.
According to PDC Board President, Irby Wilson, “Every $100 donation received between April 1st and June 30th adds a name to the roster of bold leaders who commit to: stand against sexual violence by neither participating in it nor tolerating it by others; to speak up to stop language and actions that demean or blame victims, and to model positive behavior every day in every place.”
Based on the Sexual Assault Awareness Month national theme of “Engaging New Voices,” Wilson is among the men already volunteering with PDC who are hosting men’s roundtable discussions that outline what constitutes sexual violence, explores ways to respond in cases of sexual harassment or suspected child sexual abuse and explains steps men can to take as active bystanders when sexually inappropriate conversations or behaviors are witnessed.
Over its 30-year history, the Pee Dee Coalition, supported in part by the United Way, has been providing round-the-clock victim assistance and expanding prevention services. In addition to the 24-hour crisis line, individual counseling, medical, legal and criminal justice advocacy offered to victims, PDC offers:
R.O.A.R. (Reducing Our Assault Risk) a forum for engaging today’s youth and young adults in healthy conversations about sex and sexual violence; R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense) training for women in self-defense against various types of assault by utilizing easy, effective and proven techniques; Talking About Touching provides personal body safety education for preschool, daycare, primary, and elementary school students in which children increase their ability to say “no”, get away from unsafe situations and to identify safe adults; and Stewards of Children, developed by Darkness to Light, to educate adults about the prevalence and consequences of child sexual abuse and empower them to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly when they suspect a child is being harmed.
Even though, according to the US Department of Justice, the rate of sexual assault has fallen 63 percent since 1993, it remains a major public health issue affecting one in six women and one in 33 men. Today’s statistics indicate that every 98 seconds someone in the United States is sexually assaulted and every eight minutes that someone is a child.
To join the 100 Man Campaign, email PDC at 100men@peedeecoalition.org or visit www.peedeecoalition.org. For more information call Barbara Steadman at 843-669-4694.