PAVE (Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment) held its Chicago chapter kickoff event Sept. 13 at Loyola's Water Tower campus in Rubloff auditorium. PAVE, a nonprofit organization aims to shatter the silence about sexual violence.
Angela Rose, a survivor of sexual assault and founder of PAVE, began speaking and acting out against sexual violence at the age of 17 after being abducted and assaulted by a paroled kidnapper, rapist and murderer. Rose was a key participant in the passage of the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act in Illinois in 1998. Under the act, almost 200 sex offenders have been convicted as sexually violent persons.
Sexual assault is a hugely under-reported crime in this country and across the globe. The theme of the kickoff event was "Conquering Sexual Violence Locally and Globally," and speakers included sexual assault survivors Rose, Elizabeth Hendrix, founder of Invisible Conflicts Nathan Mustain, David Kanis, Ph.D., and Caroline Akweyo, a survivor of conflict in northern Uganda.
Rose and Hendrix were both assaulted in the Chicago area: Rose near Woodfield Mall and Hendrix in the Lakeview community. Both women, unlike many sexual assault victims, made their voices heard very quickly after being victimized. Rose has used her voice to promote raising awareness of a significantly under-reported and under-recognized crime in society. Currently there are seven chapters of PAVE and twice as many are budding across the country.
Hendrix fought off two sexual assaults within a matter of weeks. The first assault was in the elevator of her apartment building, in which she was able to fend off the assailant with some struggle. The second assault was around 2 a.m. on a Monday morning after being dropped off by a taxi after work. She was tackled to the ground, and she fought off the assailant using pepper spray that she carried with her.
Ever since her second assault, Hendrix recommends that girls carry pepper spray.
"It's a terrifying experience, and you don't wish this on anyone," Hendrix said. She emphasized the fact that it is not a victim's fault for being attacked. "There's no shame in being a victim."
Hendrix encourages anyone coming home late at night to be dropped off as close to the entrance of the building as possible and to ask the driver to watch until having entered the building. She also said to be prepared and know what to do in the case of an assault.
Along with telling her story, Rose gave some shocking statistics about sexual assault. One out of four college females will be sexually assaulted, and nine out of 10 who are assaulted in college never report the crime. Additionally, nearly nine out of 10 women who are assaulted know and trust the assailant.
Mustain, founder of Invisible Conflicts, explained Invisible Conflicts, a Loyola student group, "recognizes the fact that there are conflicts ignored by the mainstream media and governments."
First, on the global front, Mustain expressed the significance of the issue of sexual assault in northern Uganda, specifically in IDP (internationally displaced) camps. In the camps, 54 percent of women experience sexual violence, and only 6 percent seek help. Uganda's neighboring country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, also experiences dire problems regarding sexual assault. Gang rape of women and girls as young as six years old, by both rebel forces and military soldiers (considered allies by the U.S. government), is prevalent in Uganda, as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo.
On the local front, Mustain discussed his concern with the lack of male voice in the movement to eradicate sexual violence.
"We [men] must act today," Mustain said. "Stories of girls date raped are no different than women raped on mud floors of Congolese huts."
Mustain also expressed his concern with the attitude of young college men. He iterated that if a girl says no, it is rape; if alcohol is involved in persuasion, it is rape.
As Rose has stated, "consent is a 'yes,' not an absence of 'no'." Mustain strongly encourages men to become a part of the voice to end sexual assault, and they can do so by becoming involved with PAVE, or by visiting either www.mencanstoprape.com or www.todddennymvp.com.
David Kanis, Ph.D., a professor at Chicago State University who travels to northern Uganda to teach for two months of the year, spoke of the problems facing women in east Africa.
"The world doesn't care too much right now," Kanis said, referring to the sexual violence problem in eastern Africa. "Women come to me because I am an American, and they think I can help them."
Kanis stated that after approaching the American embassy about the issue, he was promptly informed that this is not America's concern.
Kanis, as well as PAVE, seemed to think differently. Kanis taught 10 young women during his last visit to Uganda; every one of his students had been raped.
Women are given to commanders of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) as wives when they hit puberty, and most commanders have many young wives. These women face harsh punishment for disobeying their husbands. If a woman complains, her lips are cut off. If a woman tells the location of the LRA is told to the government, her nose and ears are cut off.
Caroline Akweyo, a survivor of the sexual violence that occurs in northern Uganda, spoke of her experiences in facing the LRA and sexual assault. At the age of 6, Akweyo watched as her aunt was slaughtered with knives by LRA members. At the age of 17, she was abducted by the LRA for six months before escaping. Akweyo now serves as a voice for the women who do not speak up about the violence in northern Uganda.
"The best thing you can do is give people a mind of expressing themselves," she said. "It heals you emotionally."
From Angela Rose and Elizabeth Hendrix to Caroline Akweyo, the voice of female empowerment against sexual violence is raising both locally and globally.
To get involved in spreading sexual assault awareness, visit www.pavingtheway.net. For counseling services or simply to report sexual violence, call Chicago's Rape Crisis Hotline at 888-293-2080.
Be the first to comment on this article!