Guys with Ties and Girls with Pearls
Wondering why you are seeing so much of the color teal this April? Teal is the official color of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
To promote awareness about sexual assault, members of the community have partnered with Putnam County Family Support Services in a campaign called Guys with Ties and Girls with Pearls.
Male participants wear a teal tie, while female participants wear a pearl necklace to promote awareness about sexual assault.
Sexual violence comes in many forms. It can include bullying, dating violence, gender inequality, sexual harassment, and witnessing violence as a child. It can happen to anyone at any time. In fact, 90 percent of victims know the person who sexually assaulted them. The good news is that it is preventable, and everyone can help make a difference through positive relationships and speaking out against sexual violence.
You can promote healthy relationships by treating everyone with respect, using nonviolent communication in your own intimate relationships, and by speaking up or getting help if you are concerned about an unhealthy relationship.
You can act as a mentor by educating youth about respectful relationships through guidance, positive actions, and by demonstrating healthy behaviors in their presence. The benefit of a positive role model will impact the young men and women of our community. Just maybe, because of your influence, they will expect to receive respect in their own intimate relationships and recognize the signs of an unhealthy one.
You can support survivors of sexual assault by listening to them, believing them, being there for them, and knowing where they can get help. (Family Support Services at 653-4820 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673).
You can use social media to promote healthy relationships, to support survivors, to take a stand against victim blaming, or simply to announce that April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.