Proclamation fo…

I wanted to touch on this briefly.  April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM).  In most people’s minds, you would normally think about sexual assault with women.  However, assault can also be in males.  According to the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), 10% of victims are male in 2003.  One out of every ten males is something that could be alarming, and also missed by a lot of people.

Males will have a lot of problems after they are assaulted.  Some of those problems could include:

• Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression
• Alcoholism and drug abuse
• Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts
• Problems in intimate relationships
• Underachievement at school and at work

Something that I have never revealed in any of my blogs (or at least to my knowledge) is that I was assaulted when I was a child.  I have had those bullets all happen to me.  Thanks to some counseling this year, I was able to tackle this head on.  I can actually gladly say that I am a survivor.  I also work with a lot of victims of assault, as well as those who are assaulted.  Maybe with more advocacy, and awareness, some of these individuals can be rehabilitated into the community, and not shunned.  I think that with a lot of males, because the societal tendency to make males not voice their feelings, a lot of things get hidden.  I’m thankful that I was able to come to terms with my own issues with what happened to me, and I hope with the people I work with on a daily basis I can help them.

I invite you to take a look, if you haven’t already, at the below quote. This is the proclamation for a healthy future from the SAAM site.  If you or someone you know has been assaulted, male or female, give it a look, and remember that you are a survivor.

 

Proclamation for a healthy future

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This year’s campaign is dedicated to healthy sexuality and young people.

Your Voice. Our Future. Prevent Sexual Violence.

Healthy sexuality means having the knowledge and power to express sexuality in ways that enrich our lives. It’s about every person being able to make consensual, respectful, and informed choices. There is no room for pressure, violence, or control.

Healthy sexuality is a vision for sex, relationships, and growth supported by positive skills, helpful information, and open communication.

We proclaim our right to information and resources to empower us and our communities to build healthy relationships and a healthy future.

We will use our voices to share information and skills to support healthy sexuality.

We will connect with adults in our lives that support and listen to us. We will show others the positive role young
people play in changing the future.

We will engage with our peers, learn from one another, and model the respect we all deserve.

We will connect with resources in our communities to be involved in projects that promote healthy sexuality and public awareness about sexual violence.

We will challenge unhealthy messages and stereotypes in our culture and the media. We will use our voices to counter misrepresentations and promote respect.

Healthy sexuality is a vision to end sexual violence. We can all create positive change for the future and prevent
sexual violence.

My voice promotes a healthy future for all. I am an agent of change.