Temple University, both main campus and Ambler campus faculty, staff, and students, walked to bring a stop to sexual violence in solidarity with Temple’s Wellness Resource Center. Bringing awareness to sexual violence is so important.

Did you know according to Rainn, every 98 seconds an American is sexually assaulted? And every 8 minutes, that victim is a child? Meanwhile, only 6 out of every 1,000 perpetrators will end up in prison!!! #EMBRACEYOURVOICE

Nothing is more important than making your peers, family, friends, and even acquaintances feel safe enough in your presence to embrace their voice and speak out about sexual violence. It has to end. Whether you’ve been affected, know someone who has been, or just want to know more about how you can recognize, educate, and inform others, please visit Temple’s Wellness Resource Center in the lower level of Mitten Hall on main campus or check out their website: wellness.temple.edu.

If you are a survivor, we are here for you. If you are a friend of a survivor, we are here for you. If you are a relative of a survivor, we are here for you. If you want to learn more so that you are more aware of what you can do to help, we are here for you. Every little bit counts, whether it’s speaking up for someone in the moment, standing up for yourself, or talking to someone about the aftermath, you are not alone and we encourage you to #EmbraceYourVoice.

The statistics do not lie. Although sexual violence is not always something that can be visually recognized, it is still happening. Just because you are not a survivor, does not mean your voice is not important.

If you are a survivor, you are important. You have a voice no matter what has happened to you and there are resources and people that can help you. As a fellow student on Temple’s campus, I’ve been a witness and a victim. Because of my experiences, I now feel more aware of the impact and how frequently sexual violence occurs.

According to the odds, you absolutely know someone who has suffered. That is a terrifying fact we walked to end sexual violence and if you aren’t on board with the movement yet, you should be. YOU are important. #EmbraceYourVoice