April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which offers a great opportunity for people to get involved with the Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine.
The organization is always seeking volunteers to help answer calls for its 24-Hour Crisis & Support Line, and they’re offering a free training session beginning next week, to train volunteers to help offer a lifeline for people who have been victims of sexual violence.
SARSSM’s crisis and support line assists callers in York and Cumberland counties. Volunteer advocates work from home, have flexible hours, choose their shifts and do not need any experience.
The organization’s new, comprehensive advocate training, “Help in Healing,” includes 38 classroom hours and five hours of journaling exercises. The training covers topics such as: The brain’s response to trauma, communication and listening skills, and victim advocacy.
Sexual assault is a major problem in this country.
In a statement released Monday, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree pointed out that one in five women in the United States will be raped or a victim of attempted rape in their lifetime, and one in 10 rape victims are men.
“It’s critical that we do all we can to support survivors, hold rapists accountable and prevent these assaults from happening,” Pingree said. “We all have a part to play in creating a culture that accepts nothing less than total respect for each other and has zero tolerance for rape, sexual harassment or threats.”
Pingree has been working to reform policies to prevent sexual assault in the military and help survivors since she began her stint as a U.S. representative in 2009.
The culture in the military has led to underreporting of sexual assault, and in recent years, Pingree and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, have led the charge from Maine to increase awareness and resources for victims.
The Sexual Trauma Response Oversight and Good Governance Act was signed into law in December 2011, with the help of Collins as a sponsor. The act allows sexual assault survivors in the military to seek the assistance of advocates with confidentiality and guarantees survivors access to a lawyer. Survivors also gained the ability to request expedited consideration to be transferred far away from the location of their assailant under the measure.
This year, Pingree has introduced the Ruth Moore Act of 2013, which would make it easier for military sexual trauma survivors to claim disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It is named for Maine veteran Ruth Moore, who had to fight for 23 years to get disability benefits for PTSD, which was a result of her being sexually assaulted during her service, Pingree said.
Maine legislators have served as leaders in this right, and residents should be proud of their efforts. There is more that each and every one of us can do, though, by getting involved with organizations like SARSSM, contacting legislators about the issue, making it clear that sexual assault will be prosecuted, and encouraging victims to speak up and get support.
Anyone interested in getting involved with SARSSM may call 828-1035, email charlene@sarsonline.org or visit www.sarsonline.org.
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Today’s editorial was written by City Editor Robyn Burnham on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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