International Justice Mission dedicates the month of April to spreading awareness of sexual assault. Throughout this month, Milligan’s IJM chapter is holding multiple events to help students become aware of this issue.
IJM chair Praise Gichuru thought holding these events in April would provide the perfect time to showcase this event on campus since April is sexual assault awareness month.
“I wanted to hold these events on campus because faith communities are not talking about this issue enough,” Gichuru said. “I want students to know how to start this conversation on healthy sexuality here where they are surrounded by a safe space on campus.”
Overall, Gichuru’s goal is that Milligan becomes a safe place where people can talk about this topic and not feel judged, shamed or guilty. She also wants people to know that these things are happening close by even though we do not often hear about it.
“It’s happening on our campus, it’s happening to people we love, it’s happening in Johnson City, and it is so important for us to lean into that pain, because we need to know how to help people who are going through that, and we need to know how to talk about it and not shame victims,” Gichuru said.
She wants these events to educate people not only on sexual awareness, but also on healthy masculinity. She believes that toxic masculinity is feeding into this whole culture of sexual assault and rape.
IJM kicked off the events of this month on April 3 by holding a sexual assault presentation panel discussion. This not only allowed students to come together to learn more about sexual assault, but also allowed them to openly voice their concerns with Milligan policies.
IJM will also be taking part in East Tennessee State University’s sexual assault awareness week. ETSU will be holding events between April 9-13 to help raise awareness. IJM will be providing transportation for students of Milligan who would like to attend some of the events.
“At the end of it all, we want to create a safe space on campus where any and all things are brought up and talked about,” Gichuru said. “We can’t trust that people know, and we can’t trust that this isn’t happening around us. Holding these events will help those who are struggling to know that they are loved.”
Gichuru hopes that this April will only be the beginning of this discussion. She hopes that by next April the number of events and amount of student participation will be even greater.