At the end of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, survivors of sexual assault, city officials, and community partners formed a human chain around City Hall by joining hands in a moment of silence to honor the people who have experienced sexual violence.
Mayor Kenney started by giving his remarks, stating: “In 2016, we created the Office of Domestic Violence Strategies to help city agencies improve their response to intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and gender-based violence. I’m proud of the City’s ongoing work through training, policy development, and partnerships with community agencies, including WOAR.”
“Although we are nearing the end of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we must continue to raise awareness to combat sexual violence, which affects too many people. Though this problem persists, WOAR is seeing a steady increase in calls to their office. People feel more empowered and are able to speak up against sexual violence and assault. Thankfully, we have the Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence and the Philadelphia Rape Crisis Center, who provide education and awareness programs as well as critical services and counseling to help,” said Mayor Kenney–as he spoke about the importance of having organizations like WOAR. “WOAR has worked tirelessly for nearly 50 years to make sure that victims of sexual violence are not alone, and we’re grateful for all that you do. I would like to send a clear message to sexual assault survivors: what happened was not your fault. It did not occur because of what you were wearing or where you happened to be at the time. For all of you who are survivors of sexual assault, please know that we see you. We hear you, and we stand with you in your healing.”
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