Walk a Mile in Her Shoes 2020

Walk A Mile In Her Shoes 2020 Cancelled

Park City residents have been putting themselves in “her shoes” since 2013 as part of Peace House’s annual men’s march to stop rape, sexual assault, and gender violence. This year Peace House is prioritizing our commitment to community safety during the COVID-19 pandemic and cancelling Walk a Mile In Her Shoes 2020.

The need for community wide understanding of the impact of sexual violence has only increased with the pandemic. National Sexual Assault Hotlines are seeing a record demand. Many of those reaching out for help are children. Over half of the calls in May and June to Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) which is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence online hotline were minors (USA TODAY July 21, 2020). The safety nets, school staff and community members such as clubs and sports leaders, have collapsed as people have sheltered in place. These caring, trusted, community adults provide youth substantial protection from sexual assaults.

To give an idea of the size of the problem of sexual assault in the US, in a non-pandemic year, 63,000 children annually are victims of sexual abuse. Those individual at the highest risk for rape and sexual assault are between the ages of 12-34. While both males and females are victims of sexual assault, 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime.

Sexual violence extends to any act of physical or psychological violence targeting sexuality or gender and used to undermine a person’s sexual or gender integrity. Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. It can also include negative comments about women as a group.

Walk A Mile In Her Shoes, encourages men to act as allies in ending sexualized violence. Men have a vital role to play in ending violence against women and girls. When men witness other men engage in harassment or harmful sexualized behaviors and intervene, sexualized violence drops. When men mentor youth on boundaries and respectful conduct through example and direct intervention, sexual violence drops. A key evidence-based program, proven to reduce sexual assault is Coaching Boys into Men created by Futures Without Violence. This program provides a series of twelve, 10-minute lessons for athletic coaches to present to their teams once a week during practice. Research shows that boys who completed this training were 76% less likely to commit abuse against a dating partner one year after the program was over. These lessons promote respect, integrity, nonviolence, and delivers perhaps the most important life lesson, violence never equals strength.

For the past seven years, community leaders from the Police Department, Fire Department, Athletic Coaches, the Mayor’s Office, Clergy, and engaged citizens have walked a Park City mile up Poison Creek Trail and through Silly Market wearing heels, boas, and uniforms to send the message that ending violence against women is essential to the development of health and prosperity in our community. This year, in lieu of our event, Peace House Prevention and Education team would like to support a coach in delivering the Coaching Men into Boys to their team. Please contact leisa@peacehouse.org for details.

Resources

Peace House 24/7 Helpline (800) 647-9161

RAINN Hotline (800) 565.4673 or go rain.org to chat https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/