HILO — Chief among the many challenges faced by sexual assault victims is feeling comfortable enough to speak out and seek help.
A joint campaign involving the Hawaii County Prosecutor’s Office, University of Hawaii at Hilo and Big Island Coalition Against Physical and Sexual Assault seeks to change that.
The Start By Believing public awareness campaign begins Wednesday with a training event at the university.
In a statement released this week, the Prosecutor’s Office noted that “a friend or family member is typically the first person a victim confides in after an assault, and each person’s reaction is the first step in a long path toward justice and healing,”
“It’s so difficult for victims to come forward and tell their story, and it makes it that much more difficult if people don’t believe them,” prosecuting attorney Deborah Chai told the Tribune-Herald. “This event is really just about educating people and learning how to respond.”
Victims often are faced with “society’s conceptions about what happened and why that happened,” she said.
The Prosecutor’s Office has a new sexual assault unit led by Michelle West. Chai credits West with pursuing Start By Believing. The campaign was developed by End Violence Against Women International and has been implemented in communities nationwide.
In 2014, there were 275 sexual assault cases reported on the Big Island, according to the release. In 95 percent of the cases, the victims knew the attacker and 83 percent of the victims were female.
The YWCA Sexual Assault Hotline received more than 1,000 calls last year.
Jerry Chang, director of university relations at UH-Hilo, said in an email that all members of the community would benefit from improving public response to sexual assault.
“(It) harms everyone, not only the victims, but their children, families and loved ones,” Chang said. “Too many suffer in silence.”
The university’s Student Health and Wellness Program has worked with community partners such as the Prosecutor’s Office on training and prevention activities before, including the annual Slam Against Violence spoken-word event.
“Hosting the kickoff to the Start By Believing campaign … is a small way that we can support the efforts of the county and our surrounding community,” Chang said.
Anne Munch, an attorney and former prosecutor, will be Wednesday’s keynote speaker. Munch also is a former director of the Ending Violence Against Women’s Project in Colorado and has worked extensively with the United States military’s sexual assault response programs.
“To get her to this island is a really great thing for us,” Chai said.
To participate in the Start by Believing campaign’s training session Wednesday, call the Victim Assistance Unit of the Prosecutor’s Office at 934-3306. Training is free, but advance registration is required.
Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
