Mayor Signs Proclamation Deeming April 2023 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Hardeman County Mayor Todd Pulse joined in supporting the “Illuminating West Tennessee” public awareness campaign by declaring the month of April 2023 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month with a proclamation signed on the Courthouse steps this week.
Mayor Pulse was joined by Wo/Men’s Resource and Rape Assistance Program (WRAP) representatives, Emily Winston – Regional Sexual Assault Response Specialist, Shayla Russell – DCS Liaison, and Tanya Lawson – County Domestic Violence Manager.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month is intended to draw attention to the fact that sexual violence is widespread and has public health implications for every community member. One in four women and one in six men experience sexual assault in their lifetime. In 2021, more than 1,800 reports of forcible rape and/or sexual assault were made to law enforcement in West Tennessee according to the TBI; 247 of those West Tennessee victims of sexual assault were served by WRAP, and Jackson-Madison County General Hospital served 96 victims for sexual assault forensic exams. Current estimates suggest no more than 15 percent of sexual assaults will be reported to law enforcement, and less than three percent will result in the conviction and incarceration of the perpetrator.
Wrap was founded more than 40 years ago in 1975 to provide “trauma informed supportive services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their families“. Since its inception, it has grown to cover 19 counties in West Tennessee that includes Hardeman County.
If you need help due to sexual assault or domestic violence or know someone who does, call the WRAP 24/7 statewide helpline (800) 273-8712 or visit www.wraptn.org.
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