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Several groups have joined forces to promote October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month as well as Rape Awareness Month because the members feel that both of these crimes need serious attention from the community.
Nationwide, Rape Awareness Month is observed in April, but local organizers opted to combine the two and double the impact of the importance of educating the public about preventing these crimes.
Residents and visitors to Warsaw will know about the community-awareness project thanks to a banner which will hang across Center Street for most of the month.
Participants in promoting this awareness include Sandra Frush of the Mental Health Association; Becky Moreno, victims assistance coordinator for the Warsaw Police Department; Deb Pennington, director of the Center of Hope, a sexual assault treatment center, and a victims assistant working with the Kosciusko County Prosecutor's Office; and Betsy Spiegel, victims assistance coordinator for the prosecutor's office.
These women also are involved with the Domestic Violence Task Force, a group of individuals "who recognize that family violence is more than a family problem; it is a community problem," according to information provided by Moreno, who heads up the task force.
"Family violence and rape are crimes and need to be regarded as such," task force information notes. "Victims are left powerless when their own community abandons and judges them."
Among the issues related to domestic violence and rape that are addressed by the task force are public awareness and education, fund-raising for support, developing projects/programs and providing direct services to victims and their families. Anyone wanting to become involved with the task force may do so; there are currently 51 members.
One of the ways rape is being brought to the attention of the community is via billboards provided by Eagle Outdoor Advertising. The three signs let passersby know that "Rape is not about passion. It's about power, control and anger."
During October, ads are being published daily regarding the 10 most-used myths about rape.
"Our goal is to make the community aware that rape is a crime against the victim," Frush said. "People have value ... we don't use or abuse men or women or children."
Frush said that a $15,000 grant helps in educating the community about rape. CARe (Communities Against Rape - the "e" stands for "effort") is provided by the Indiana Department of Health through Purdue University. The emphasis of the grant is in dealing with adolescents and educating teens, "since it's a known fact that teens don't know what rape is," Frush said.
Thanks to the grant, a pilot program is in place to educate high schoolers against rape and violence. An in-school service program will be taught at one area high school and Frush said she hopes to get the same program in place in all of the high schools.
The Center of Hope also is possible through a grant and is currently housed at Kosciusko Community Hospital. The Center of Hope's efforts include educating the public on sexual assault prevention and intervention. Program participants do this through schools, churches, physician offices, service agencies and other areas.
In the two months the Center of Hope has existed, 18 advocates have been trained and can respond to the emergency room to deal with victims' needs. Already, seven females have been assisted through the program.
A brochure states that the Center of Hope "offers the hope for sexual assault victims that they will be treated immediately, in a quiet, compassionate, nontraumatic way."
The Center of Hope can help sexual assault victims - male or female - by providing medical and legal assistance in a private environment.
Sexual assault nurse examiners are specially trained in sexual assault evidence collection. The rape exam kit used is "state-of-the- art," Pennington said.
Yet another grant is being sought to establish a Victims Service Center, which would be an office housing the Center of Hope, the Domestic Violence Task Force, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and an interview room for victims.
If the grant is awarded, "that's going to totally intensify our victims services," Moreno said. "It will pull everyone together for a collaborative effort and provide a better environment for victims."
The Domestic Violence Task Force, which was establish in June 1997, is in the process of reorganizing in hopes of receiving this grant. Spiegel said the group is hoping to draw additional support from the religious community, as well as the community as a whole. Its mission statement: "To inform our community of the danger and reality of domestic violence while assisting potential or actual victims, using available resources, to prevent or break the cycle of domestic violence."
As part of the month-long awareness project, task force representatives will man a booth at Wal-Mart Monday and Thursday during the store's "Safety Week," and will distribute literature on rape and domestic violence.
