By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The Barton County Commission approved a pair of proclamations at Tuesday’s meeting presented by the Family Crisis Center. Aimiee Peschka, program director for Domestic and Sexual Violence at the Family Crisis Center in Great Bend, said more than half of all women and a third of all men experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetimes.
“Denim Day” was created for businesses to allow employees to dress down in jeans for the day in exchange of a hygiene item to be donated to the Family Crisis Center for their free store available to victims.
"That started from a woman that was sexually assaulted," said Peschka. "A year later, her perpetrator appealed saying that she was wearing a tight pair of jeans so she consented to the assault. They let him go. So this is just standing in solidarity with all of the people who have been assaulted."
Denim Day is scheduled for April 30.
The Family Crisis Center also offers S.A.N.E. bags. S.A.N.E. stands for Sexual Assault Nurse’s Exam and for a $30-dollar donation clothes can be set aside for the program.
"We provide a bag of clothing to every survivor after their assault," said Peschka. "Usually their clothing is taken for evidence. We provide that to the hospital in town, in Ellinwood and Pratt."
Proclamations were read and approved at the Commission meeting for Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month in April.