The road to healing is a long one for those who have been victims of domestic and sexual assault, but thankfully the culmination of a two-part advocacy event held Thursday night helped local victims take a big step on that road.
SOS once again teamed up with ESU’s THRIVE (The Healthy Relationship and Interpersonal Violence Education) program and the Student Art Therapy Organization (SATO) for the in-person portion of Take Back the Night. Normally a singular event, this year’s activities were split into two parts with a virtual portion held Tuesday evening.
A major part of the evening’s activities was a march through campus to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence and to advocate for change. SOS Criminal Justice Coordinator Cherie Crisp says historically, society has turned a blind eye towards issues such as domestic and sexual assault causing it to become a “taboo” topic and thus diminishing a victim’s willingness to come forward.
She says in recent years, national movements like Take Back the Night have helped give victims more comfort and confidence to step forward.
In addition to a march across campus, those in attendance also participated in art activities and heard personal testimonials from assault survivors including Alyssa Goering (GARE-ing). Goering says sharing her story has not only been therapeutic for her, she believes it has provided inspiration for others to come forward and speak out.
If you or someone you know is or has been the victim of sexual or domestic violence and are in need of services you are encouraged to contact SOS by calling the 24-hour hotline at 800-825-1295. More information can be found online at SOSKansas.com.
For those who were unable to view Tuesday’s virtual activities, you can find the video online at YouTube.com. You can view the video by clicking here.
Photos by Tagan Trahoon and Alexa Houston/KVOE News and Kari Wedel/SOS
