On June 5, men and other community members will line up to register for Concord’s first W.A.M. Event (Walk A Mile In HER Shoes) to raise awareness and money to help end domestic and sexual violence. The registration event will take place at the Barley House from 5 to 6:30 p.m. There will be a speaker, contests, snacks and a cash bar. Please RSVP to: dawna@cccnh.org. Team building and peer-to-peer fundraising is encouraged and supported, and you can visit firstgiving.com/crisiscenterofcentralnh/WAM.
In Merrimack County, one out of two women will experience domestic and/or sexual violence in her lifetime. Further, the 2012 New Hampshire Governor’s Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence stated that domestic violence is one of the leading “causes” of homicide, with the domestic violence homicide rate hovering around 50 percent of all homicides. In New Hampshire, women between the ages of 18 and 24 are at the greatest risk of sexual assault, representing 42 percent of those reporting this crime. Forty-one percent of the most recent sexual assaults of females reported in the New Hampshire survey occurred before the victim’s 18th birthday, and 83 percent occurred before the age of 25.
Men exposed to physical abuse, sexual abuse, and adult domestic violence as children are four times more likely than other men to perpetrate domestic violence as adults. Children who are exposed to violence are more likely to attempt suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from home, engage in teenage prostitution, and commit sexual assault crimes.
W.A.M. will take place Oct. 1, but the Crisis Center of Central N.H. (hosting this event) is starting early and seeking every opportunity to initiate and expand the conversation about this epidemic. (The event will take place on Main Street in Concord, starting at the State House archway and looping to Pleasant Street and back.)
By involving men, the Crisis Center and the W.A.M. lead sponsors such as Merrimack County Savings Bank, The Eye Center of Concord, The Fleischman family, the Women’s Council of Realtors, Red River Theatres and Concord Women’s Care, want to highlight the vital role they play in ending violence against women.
“Without engaging men in this movement, we will not end violence against women, children and men, period,” said Jill Rockey, executive director of the Crisis Center of Central N.H.
The registration fee is $25 and includes a free T-shirt. Youth under 13 may register for $10. Men are highly encouraged to walk the mile in women’s high heeled shoes. There will be a limited supply for purchase at the June 5 WAM registration event. All details regarding the event are available on the Crisis Center’s Facebook page.
