Photo By Staff Sgt. Kimberly Johnson | Women share conversation during their small group discussions Oct. 19 during the...... read more read more
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BAGHDAD – Organizers with the Sisterhood Against Sexual Assault program hosted an all-day conference, titled “Find your Voice,” to inspire women and educate them about how to have the courage to speak out against sexual assault and sexual harassment Oct. 19 at the Liberty Field House at Camp Liberty, Iraq.
Women and men from all branches of service, Department of Defense civilians and civilian contractors were invited to attend the event hosted by senior leaders with United States Forces – Iraq and United States Division – Center.
“The Sisterhood Against Sexual Assault is a different approach to combating sexual assault and sexual harassment in our ranks,” said Maj. Lisa Belcastro, plans and operations officer for engineer capacity development with USF–I and a Dallas native. “It’s a straight talk point of view, showing soldiers how leaders came from the bottom, up. It’s about showing the lower enlisted there are better ways, better skills and camaraderie in preventing sexual assault and sexual harassment.”
Belcastro, who established the pilot program for SASA in March 2010, said she started the program as a forum to educate, build confidence in and develop life skills for young women and men, to help prevent sexual assault based on sexual assault statistics in theater.
Belcastro said through her age and life experience, she knows even though precautions can be taken to prevent a predator; there are still vulnerabilities in young troops. SASA is about looking at those behaviors female soldiers present unknowingly, and raising awareness on how to protect them.
Sexual assault is one of the crimes for which the victim is often blamed—and that is not the right answer, said Sfc. Michael Patterson, senior equal opportunity adviser and deployed sexual assault prevention and response coordinator for 1st Armored Division, and a Paris, Ark., native.
“It is beneficial that people are talking about the issue of sexual assault,” Patterson said. “This is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about. The issue of sexual assault keeps getting swept under the rug; it’s not tactical, it’s not logistical. It’s one of those things that [are] always put off to the side.”
Spc. Ashley Smith, an automated logistics supply specialist with Company D., 1st Support Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, and a Galeton, Pa., native, attended the conference and said she thinks SASA is a great adaptation to the Army’s conventional approach toward sexual assault prevention and awareness training.
“Before [the] Sisterhood Against Sexual Assault class, I didn’t have much of a concern [with sexual assault], because it has never happened to me or anyone that I know of,” Smith said. “But after hearing other women’s stories, I realized what is really going on [in sexual assault cases] may not be heard. But because of this event, women spoke out. I know now that sexual assault is wrong, no matter what the victim may or may not have done. My whole perspective has changed.”
Patterson said preventing sexual assault is all about awareness. Everyone needs to be engaged in their units. Sexual assault prevention begins with sexual harassment prevention.
“If someone walks away from a deficiency, like sexual harassment, they change the standard,” Patterson said. “It all comes from being an active bystander, meaning that if someone sees something wrong, they need to say something, step in, follow their conscience and do the hard right thing and speak out against sexual assault and sexual harassment.”
Sisterhood Against Sexual Assault meets once a month, with the next meeting scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Liberty Field House at Camp Liberty, Iraq.
| Date Taken: | 10.19.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.27.2010 03:47 |
| Story ID: | 58893 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 178 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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