Edwards hosts first Sexual Assault Awareness, Prevention Month event

  • Published
  • By Jet Fabara
  • 412th Test Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The Department of Defense and the Air Force continues to challenge the way its personnel and servicemembers tackle sexual assault awareness and prevention, especially with Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month kicking off April 1.

This is why Edwards, in conjunction with this nationwide observation, hosted Anne Munch, a former prosecutor and current sexual assault and domestic violence educator, during its kickoff event at Club Muroc to allow Airmen the opportunity to interact and examine their own personal beliefs and societal influences regarding sexual assault.

"This is a month that is set aside to bring about awareness with what is going on with sexual assaults. We know that sexual assaults occur every day, every month of the year, we just add special attention in the month of April by hosting multiple events, so we decided to have Ms. Munch, who is a subject matter expert in the DOD on sexual assaults to come out and kick off the events for this month," said Kimberly Shirley, 412th Test Wing Sexual Assault Response coordinator.

During the session, participants were presented with court cases, allowed to hear stories of sexual assault victims and listen in on 911 calls made by sexual assault victims.

"We had a chance to talk about our biases or some of the ideas that we bring into the sexual assault arena and so we examined a character called 'The Unnamed Conspirator' and how we're sometimes influenced by our culture and how our culture influences us to see the crime of sexual assault in particular ways," said Munch. "At the end of this, I want them to understand that sexual assaults happen to people, and that the most important thing we can do is to provide victims a climate of healing and give them the resources that victims need to be able to pick up and move forward, but to also create a response for them that will bring justice back to their lives."

For those who weren't able to attend, Shirley noted that base personnel will have the opportunity to attend more events during the month-long observation.

"We have a traveling wall again with messages of hope for survivors of sexual assault. In addition to that, annual training will start April 6 and we'll be hosting events during every 'Training Monday,' except for May, but we will have annual training at the base theater from now until September to include training on Wingman Day," Shirley said.

At the end of the SAPR session, both Shirley and Munch left the audience with these departing words so attendees can be mindful of what this month is all about.

"Many of us may not be a victim of sexual assault or even think that we know anyone, but our problem is people not reporting, so that young lady that served you coffee this morning, that young man that gave you your sandwich at lunch, that individual that you sit right next to in your cubicle could all be a victim of sexual assault, so we need to be aware of that, we need to be careful in how we speak and we need to be mindful of the things we say and do because may it can help someone come forward and report a sexual assault."

"The military is making great progress not only in the Air Force, but other services to inform its servicemembers of what sexual assault is and how to report it," added Munch. "Ms. Kimberly said that this is a crime that affects people 365 days a year, so my main goal is to make sure that it stays on your radar screen and that you're doing your part to be part of the solution."