No One Asks For It! Wear Purple on Friday, May 4th, 2012!

On Friday, May 4th, 2012 thousands across Canada will be wearing purple in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month! In its second year, this campaign is called No One Asks For It! In our nation, May is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We know that sexual abuse and sexualized violence in our communities is far more common than most people think. According to a 2006 Statistics Canada report, one in three women will experience some form of sexual assault in their lifetime. In 2008, Statistics Canada reported that over half (59%) of the police-reported sexual assault victims were under the age of 18; 81% of young victims were female and 19% were male. Despite the prevalence and impact of sexualized crimes, sexual assaults have notoriously low reporting rates; more than 90% of victims do not report their experiences to the police. One of the biggest hurdles that women and children face after experiencing sexual assault is the insidious notion that somehow they “asked for it” by what they were wearing, where they were, what they were doing, what they were drinking, or whom they kept company with. No doubt, this impacts many people’s decision to remain silent after experiencing an assault. The first annual No One Asks For It! in 2011 was created in response to a number of high profile examples of victim-blaming in Canadian news. We launched a facebook event page, and what began as a local campaign, spread like wildfire across the nation; more than 17,000 organizations and individuals in Canada signed up to wear purple last year on the first Friday in May! For 2012, we want to build on the success of last year’s campaign and make a powerful impact across Canada! It’s simple to get involved! * RSVP your attendance to this event. * Invite all your facebook friends to attend as well! * Share this event page on Twitter and use the hashtag #NoOneAsksForIt * Organize Wear Purple events in your schools, businesses, social group, or faith group! * Wear Purple on Friday, May 4th, 2012 and tell people why you’re doing it! Let’s stand together on Friday, May 4th, 2012 in recognition of those in our nation who have experienced sexual violence!

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