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April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Sexual Assault Resources & Statistics

Communities across the state are hosting events in April to recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Editor’s Note: This is just a sample of the statewide activities during the month of April. Please contact your local sexual and domestic violence advocacy program for information about your city’s activities.

CONCORDIA

Contact: Jennie Thrash
Domestic Violence Association of Central Kansas
(785) 243-4349
www.dvack.org

April 23 — Annual flower planting
Cloud County Courthouse
Concordia High School students plant flowers at the Cloud County Courthouse in honor of sexual assault survivors. A brief presentation follows. Contact Cameron Presler at (785) 243-4349 for more information.

EMPORIA

Contact: Lori Moore
SOS Inc.
(620) 343-8799
www.soskansas.com

April 27 – Denise Brown lecture
7:30 p.m.
Granada Theater
For the past 13 years Denise Brown has been speaking out about the issue of domestic violence in honor of her sister, Nicole Brown-Simpson. Tickets are $15 and are available at www.soskansas.com.

HUTCHINSON

Contact:Candace Dixon
Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Center Inc.
(620) 665-3630
www.sexualassaultdomesticviolencecenter.org

April 21 — Poetry Slam
6 p.m.
Hutchinson Library

April 30 — Open Window (movie screening)
6:30 p.m.
Hutchinson Community College, College Justice Theatre

KANSAS CITY (Metro)

Contact: Lisa Martin
Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault
(816) 285-1369
www.mocsa.org

April 28 - Speak Out Poetry Event
7 p.m.
YWCA of Kansas City, Kan., 1017 N. 6th St.
Spoken word artists will perform pieces on topics including but not limited to sexual violence, domestic violence, LGBT violence, racial violence and other hate crimes.

April 30 - Women’s Political Caucus Forum
7-9 p.m.
The Writer’s Place, 3607 Pennsylvania Ave.
This moderated discussion is titled The Journey of the Sexual Assault Victim: From Hospital to Healing. Participants will learn what a sexual assault victim experiences as she/he navigates the system.

KANSAS CITY (Johnson County)

Contact: Amber Bourek
SAFEHOME
(913) 378-1517
www.safehome-ks.org

Month of April — Survivor Art Exhibit
County Central Library, Overland Park
This month-long exhibit features artwork created by survivors of crime, including survivors of domestic violence. The event is sponsored by the Johnson County District Attorney's Office, in honor of National Crime Victims' Right Week. The exhibit can be seen at the Johnson County Central Library, 9785 W. 87th St., Overland Park.

April 23 — Breaking the Silence: A Community's Response to Domestic Violence
7:30 a.m. – Noon
University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) — Pierson Auditorium
The Metropolitan Family Violence Coalition and UMKC Women's Center present "Breaking the Silence: A Community's Response to Domestic Violence" from 7:30 a.m. to Noon, April 23 at UMKC's Pierson Auditorium. This thought-provoking training will increase awareness about domestic violence and offer suggestions on how we all can be a part of the solution. The seminar includes a keynote address, three breakout sessions and a continental breakfast. The cost is $10 for students (with a valid student ID) and $20 for community members. Training hours and Continuing Nurse Education credits are available. For more information or to register, contact Kimberly Paul at kpaul@safehome-ks.org or (913) 378-1545.

SALINA

Contact: Jennie Thrash
Domestic Violence Association of Central Kansas (DVACK)
(785) 243-4349
www.dvack.org

April 25 — 2nd Annual Run/Walk to end Sexual Violence
7:30 a.m. Registration
Humphrey’s Gym
The Domestic Violence Association of Central Kansas (DVACK) is partnering with Humphrey’s Gym in Salina to host a 5K and 10K run/walk in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. The 10K begins at 8:30 a.m. and the 5K begins at 9 a.m. Humphrey’s Gym is located at 1125 Wilbre Road in Salina. For more information, contact Claudette Almaraz at the Salina DVACK office (785) 827-5862.

WICHITA

Contact: Shanna Bell-Ahmad
Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center (WASAC)
(316) 263-0185
www.wichitasac.com

April 24 — 23rd Annual Take Back the Night
6 - 8 p.m.
Old Town Plaza (outside the Warren Theatre)
WASAC hosts its’ 23rd annual Take Back the Night event from 6-8 p.m., April 24 at the Old Town Plaza (outside the Warren Theatre). Take Back the Night will feature a proclamation from Mayor Carl Brewer, three guest speakers and a march to raise awareness about sexual assault.



Resources



Sexual Violence in Kansas — the Statistics

Sexual violence includes sexual actions, completed or attempted, and words that coerce, manipulate or are forced upon someone with the intent to intimidate, humiliate, dominate, subjugate and control. Sexual violence includes any of the following acts:


Sexual violence can happen to anyone, regardless of race, age and socio-economic class. Women are more likely to be victims, and those 20 to 24 years of age are at the highest risk for rape/sexual assault, followed by those 16 to 19 years of age.

Sexual violence happens every day in Kansas. One rape occurs every seven hours in Kansas, based on the number of rapes reported to law enforcement.1 Nationally, one rape occurs every two minutes.2 Where do these numbers come from? The Kansas average comes from the number of rapes reported to law enforcement. This number is not representative of the true incidence and prevalence of sexual violence in Kansas because of the following three reasons: not all victims report their crimes to law enforcement, not all Kansas law enforcement agencies participate in the statewide survey, and the survey only considers rape as defined by Kansas law, not sexual violence as a whole.

The national number comes from the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey, which produces a more accurate reflection of the incidence and prevalence of sexual violence because it collects information on both reported and non reported crimes (non reported numbers come from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households.3

KCSDV estimates that 3,040 women and 962 men are raped each year in Kansas.
There were 1,231 rapes reported to law enforcement in Kansas in 2007.4

A majority of sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim. In Kansas, rape offenders know their victims 77 percent of the time,5 which is higher than the national average of 64 percent.6 Men in Kansas and throughout the country are much more likely to rape women who are acquaintances, girlfriends, wives, and family members than women who are strangers.

Rape is dramatically underreported. Nationally, only 42 percent of sexual assaults are reported to law enforcement.7

A small percentage of rapists are arrested. Only 21 percent of all reported rape offenders in Kansas were arrested in 2007.8



  1. Kansas Bureau of Investigation, "A Report on Domestic Violence and Rape Statistics in Kansas as Reported by Law Enforcement Agencies 2007."
  2. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Criminal Victimization Survey, "Criminal Victimization 2007."
  3. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Criminal Victimization Survey, "Criminal Victimization 2007."
  4. Kansas Bureau of Investigation, "A Report on Domestic Violence and Rape Statistics in Kansas as Reported by Law Enforcement Agencies 2007."
  5. Kansas Bureau of Investigation, "A Report on Domestic Violence and Rape Statistics in Kansas as Reported by Law Enforcement Agencies 2007."
  6. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Criminal Victimization Survey, "Criminal Victimization 2007."
  7. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Criminal Victimization Survey, "Criminal Victimization 2007."
  8. KBI, "A Report on Domestic Violence and Rape Statistics in Kansas as Reported by Law Enforcement Agencies 2007."


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