April is Child Abuse Prevention Month & Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Two major awareness months will be honored in April by Hopeful Horizons, the area’s child advocacy, domestic violence and rape crisis center.
Held annually in April, Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Month is the nationally-designated month to acknowledge the importance of communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect. April gives Hopeful Horizons and others the opportunity to focus on all the strategies used to protect children, strengthen families and raise awareness to stop child abuse and neglect from occurring.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month is a campaign to raise public awareness about sexual violence and educate communities on how to prevent it. The campaign theme, I Ask, champions the message that asking for consent is a healthy, normal and necessary part of everyday interactions.
“Child abuse and sexual assault are prevalent in our community year-round, but the pandemic has shed a different light on these issues, making it even more important for us to raise awareness this April,” said Kristin Dubrowski, CEO. “We want to ensure that survivors’ voices are heard, and that the community recognizes that we all have a role to play in preventing child abuse and sexual assault.”
Child Abuse Prevention Month
Throughout the Month, pinwheels (the symbol of child abuse prevention) will be displayed at Bellamy Curve in Beaufort, at Watusi Restaurant in Hilton Head, and at Hopeful Horizons’ offices in Beaufort, Bluffton and Walterboro. Pinwheels remind us of the carefree spirit of children and symbolize the happy, healthy childhoods that all children should have. This is in partnership with CAPA, the Child Abuse Prevention Association, as part of the Abuse Prevention Coalition.
Thursday, April 1: Wear Blue Day
Wear blue to honor child abuse survivors and raise awareness about child abuse in our community.
Child Abuse Prevention Month Proclamations
City Councils around the region will present proclamations for Child Abuse Prevention Month:
April 6: City of Walterboro
April 13: Town of Bluffton and City of Beaufort
April 14: Town of Port Royal
TBD: Town of Hilton Head
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Throughout the Month of April:
Flags recognizing victims of sexual violence will be placed at Colleton, Hampton and Jasper County Courthouses.
30 Salons in 30 Days: Hopeful Horizons’ Prevention & Outreach Team will visit 30 Nail Salons in the five-county service area during the 30 days of April and hand deliver Hopeful Horizons information about sexual assault and the services available to survivors.
County Councils in Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties will issue proclamations recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Tuesday, April 6: Wear Teal Day
At 10 am on April 6, Port Royal elected officials along with Port Royal Police Chief Alan Beach and Victim Advocate Kelly Mason will speak about “Wear Teal Day” in the Town of Port Royal. Teal doughnuts from Maynard’s on Paris Avenue will be offered.
Tuesday & Wednesday, April 6 & 7: The Importance of Consent Presentation
Hopeful Horizons will present “Healthy Relationships and the Importance of Consent” to students at Technical College of the Lowcountry and the University of South Carolina Beaufort via zoom. This is sponsored by the TCL Student Life Office and USCB Psychology Club and is open to students, faculty and staff of the two institutions.
Thursday, April 22. 7 pm: Take Back The Night
A virtual “Take Back The Night” will be held on Thursday, April 22, 2021 via Zoom with messages from survivors of sexual violence. Those to participate include: Beaufort County Sheriff PJ Tanner, 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone and Prosecutor Hunter Swanson, Senator Margie Bright Matthews and Representative Shannon Erickson. Take Back the Night is an annual awareness event to give voice to survivors of sexual assault. The event is free and open to the public. We invite survivors to share their stories or simply share that they are a survivor.
If you are a survivor and wish to speak or submit comments, please contact Rose Ewing at ewingr@hopefulhorizons.org. To sign up for this free event, visit Hopeful Horizons’ Facebook page and click on events.
Wednesday, April 28, Denim Day in the City of Walterboro
Walterboro Mayor Bill Young and Police Chief Wade Marvin will declare April 28 Denim Day in the City of Walterboro. A photo opportunity to be held on Tuesday, April 27 at 11 a.m. at the police station.
The Denim Day campaign began after a rape conviction in Italy was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans she must have helped the person who raped her remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against destructive attitudes about sexual harassment, abuse, assault and rape. Denim Day encourages community members, elected officials, businesses and students to wear jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against sexual violence.
Wednesday, April 28, MCAS “Bump, Set and Spike” Volleyball Tournament
Hopeful Horizons will co-sponsor the MCAS’ “Bump, Set and Spike” volleyball tournament recognizing sexual violence as an issue that can be prevented. The event will take place on April 28 from 11 am to 4 pm at Afterburners and is open to active-duty military.
Friday, April 30, Beaufort Naval Hospital SAAM Kickball Tournament
Hopeful Horizons will co-sponsor the Naval Hospital’s kickball tournament recognizing sexual violence as an issue that can be prevented. The event will take place on April 30 from 1 to 4 pm and is open to active-duty military.
Hopeful Horizons is a children's advocacy, domestic violence and rape crisis center that works to create safer communities by changing the culture of violence and offering a path to healing. The organization provides safety, hope and healing to survivors through evidence-based practices, outreach, prevention and education. Hopeful Horizons serves Beaufort, Allendale Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties. For more information on the mission and vision of Hopeful
