Various organizations in Lane County, including Sexual Assault Support Services, the ASUO Women’s Center and the Men’s Center, are hosting events to raise awareness about sexual violence in conjunction with Sexual Violence Prevention Week.
One of the events, the Clothesline Project, aims to “visually air society’s dirty laundry,” said SASS Education Program Coordinator Michelle Edwards. The national project encourages sexual assault survivors to create T-shirts expressing their experiences and thoughts, and shirts decorated by local sexual assault victims and allies will be on display in the EMU Concourse through Thursday.
Edwards said she hopes the project and other events this week will enable sexual assault survivors to educate themselves on services and become involved for the remainder of the year.
She said many people don’t realize that a large percentage of people have experienced sexual assault.
Erin Dury, sexual violence prevention and education coordinator for the ASUO Women’s Center, said one in four women will be sexually assaulted by age 24.
“Violence against women permeates all aspects of our lives,” she said. “The only way we can make a positive change is through education and awareness.”
Eugene Womenspace Community Outreach Director Margo Schaefer said sexual assault is a severe problem in Lane County.
She said 11 domestic violence deaths have occurred in Lane County during the past six months, while only nine people have died from domestic violence during the seven years prior to that.
She added the American Medical Association reported that one in five females will be in a violent relationship before the age of 18, and there is a one in three chance that a murdered woman was killed by her husband.
“It’s an epidemic,” she said.
One of the organizations fighting to end sexual assault is SASS, which provides various direct services including a 24-hour crisis hotline, drop-in counseling, self-defense workshops and evening group discussions.
“Not only do we provide direct service, but part of our mission is to work for social change to end sexual violence and all forms of oppression, understanding they’re tied to sexual violence,” Edwards said. “We do that through educating, outreaching and through direct services.”
Edwards said instead of giving advice, advocates for SASS “give people options, and support what they decide.” She also said on average, SASS receives 12 to 14 contacts with people each day.
Edwards also stressed the importance of teaching friends and family members the meaning and method of being supportive.
Once a survivor has found the support he or she needs, Dury said there are several forms of action someone may take against the attacker.
Dury said one option is to report the attack to the police. She added that option will likely lead to a trial, and the victim may have to face the abuser.
If someone doesn’t want to take the incident to the police, students can deal with the incident in several ways on campus.
Dury said an “official” route to report the incident is to go through the Student Judicial Affairs office and meet director Chris Loschiavo. The attacker will then sit in front of a panel which decides punishment. Dury said the harshest punishment is expulsion from the University.
An “unofficial” route is to meet with Loschiavo and have him assign a punishment for the attacker, usually consisting of education and research of sexual violence and prevention, Dury said.