Photo by: The Graham County Attorney’s Office and Victim Witnesses Office, in partnership with Mount Graham Safe Houses, launched Victim Awareness Week. Pictured from left to right are Jlynn Bartlet, Suzie Alvarez, Heather Jacobs, and Elizabeth Gardner.

Contribution article

The Safford-Graham County Attorney’s Office and the Graham County Victim Witness Service, in partnership with Mount Graham Safe House, hosted the third annual Victim Awareness Week and Awareness Day. The event, which honors survivors of crime victims, helps inform the public of the challenges faced by victims and the resources available to all victims.

The event kicked off with an awards ceremony in front of the Graham County Courthouse on Thursday, April 20th at 5pm. Thursday’s activities included invitations to join the Mt. Graham Safe House team, prosecutors, victim advocates and victim survivors. Following the Sexual Abuse Awareness Walk, attendees returned to the courthouse for a program with speakers introducing victims and communities.

After the program ended, the balloons were released and the awards ceremony was concluded.

The theme of the 2023 Sexual Assault Awareness Month is “Drawing Connections: Prevention Requires Equality.” This April campaign of his calls on all individuals, communities, organizations and institutions to change themselves and the systems around them, build racial equality And I respect you.

A line can be drawn from sexual violence to a system of oppression, and sexual violence cannot be ended without ending racism. Drawing Connections: Prevention Requires Fairness calls on all individuals, communities, organizations and institutions to change ourselves and the systems around us to build racial equality and respect.

Systems of oppression such as racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, ageism, and disabilityism drive up rates of sexual harassment, assault and abuse. We are often unaware of how historical circumstances have shaped our lives, how we have moved around the world, and especially the forms of privilege we each have with the many identities we possess. As such, we recognize that in order to end sexual violence worldwide, we must end all forms of oppression.

To highlight one of the most pressing issues we see adversely affecting not only the equity of our movement to end violence, but the lives, liberty and dignity of people around the world. is anti-black. As we work on prevention, we must take steps to reverse the systemic ways anti-black racism manifests itself in our communities.

Discussions of race issues, racism, fairness and inclusion are often avoided due to discomfort and risk.It’s okay to be offensive, but to address the social exclusion, unequal access to resources, disproportionate exposure to harm, and unwarranted prejudice faced by people of color, we must won’t be appear With courage and humility. If we take the time to listen, understand, and acknowledge each other, we can make a difference.

To change the future, we need to connect ourselves, our history and the world around us.

sexual violence An umbrella term that includes all types of unwanted sexual contact, including sexual assault, harassment, and abuse.