(April 18, 2017) KANSAS CITY, MO – April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and this year’s campaign theme is “Engaging New Voices.” Avila University is calling on new voices (students, faculty and staff) to join in the prevention of sexual violence.
Avila will host the first Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event on Saturday April 22 beginning at 10:30 a.m. on the campus of Avila University.
Overwhelming evidence indicates that the majority of sexual assaults are perpetrated by men against women. However, most men are not perpetrators. For decades men have been left out of the equation of violence prevention and the elimination of sexual assault. Sexual violence affects everyone and it is everyone’s responsibility to help put a stop to it. Men play a very crucial role in sexual violence prevention.
Sara Eckinger is the program coordinator for Eagles Aware at Avila and sees sexual assault as an issue that goes beyond gender. “We know that men, in partnership with women, play a crucial role in ending gender-based violence,” Eckinger said. “At Avila we believe it’s critical that men’s voices are brought into the mix to expand prevention efforts and to help the next generation of young men foster attitudes that promote healthy relationships, equality and respect.”
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is a symbolic gesture of men marching in female footwear to raise awareness on the issues of violence against women. The walk gives men the opportunity to publicly take a stand on the issues of sexual assault and domestic violence against women and children; it shows that men are willing to stand together with women in making the world a safer place for all individuals. By taking part in the walk men of the Avila community will be making a statement that violence against women is unacceptable.
Walkers will check in on the purple brick outside of Blasco Hall at 10:30 a.m. and will walk a one mile route around the campus beginning at 11:00 a.m.
Avila University, a Catholic University sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, is a values-based community of learning providing liberal arts, professional, undergraduate and graduate education to prepare students for responsible, lifelong contributions to the global community. Our approach to education brings out the best in our students, so they can bring out the best in others.