Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) in Hawai‘i begins Monday, April 1, 2019. The Department of the Attorney General, Department of Health, and the Hawai‘i Coalition Against Sexual Assault are partnering to raise public awareness about sexual violence and support initiatives that work to prevent sexual violence in our communities. Hawai‘i’s effort is part of a nationwide campaign.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. PC: Wikimedia Commons image.
This year’s SAAM theme, “I Ask, encourages and empowers everyone, no matter the scenario, to ask for consent, listen, and accept answers without pressuring or coercing another.”
On April 12, 2019, Gov. David Ige officially will proclaim April 2019 “Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Hawai‘i” and recognize 14 community members and organizations who are making a difference in Hawaii by encouraging healthy relationships, teaching youth about consent, and how power dynamics impact consent.
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These include: Barbie-Lei Burgess, Waiʻanae Neighborhood Place; Jan Fukada and Keʻalapualoke Fukuda, Hawaiʻi State Department of Education; Lorrie Kanno and Officer Anson “Kaipo” Paiva, Weed and Seed Program Hawaiʻi; Gina Kaulukukui, Kauaʻi Police Department; Cathy Kapua, Kuaʻana Project; Cyril Lopez, Jr. and Jennifer Makuakane, Kaʻū Middle and High School; David Matlin and Nick Rolovich, University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, Athletics; Captain Romuel “Roy” Nafarrete, U.S. Navy, PACFLT SAPRO; Gregg T. Waki, Waiakea High School; and the Maui Sexual Assault First Responders.
“Sexual violence has no place in our communities,” said Attorney General Clare E. Connors. “I commend every effort to raise awareness of the problem and I am encouraged that so many are promoting the value and importance of healthy human relationships.”
According to the 2015 and 2017 Hawaiʻi Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 1 in 12 high school students (8.5%) who dated or went out with someone in the previous 12 months experienced sexual dating violence. Anyone can experience sexual violence, including children, teens, adults and seniors.
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