President Jacob Zuma: Declare April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)

Hi,

From Mara Glennie, Founder of TEARS (www.tears.co.za) I am asking you to please sign this petition today, will you join me? As a nation we need to stand together, and the Sexual Assault Awareness Month will help us to do so.

We need 1 000 000 electronic signatures!

Internationally the month of April has been designated Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). The goal of SAAM is to raise public awareness about sexual violence and to educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence.

By working together and pooling our resources during the month of April, we can highlight sexual violence as a major public health, human rights and social justice issue and reinforce the need for prevention efforts.

President Jacob Zuma: Declare April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)

The goal of SAAM is to raise public awareness about sexual violence and to educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence.

By working together and pooling our resources during the month of April, we can highlight sexual violence as a major public health, human rights and social justice issue and reinforce the need for prevention efforts.

The petition is really important and could use your help. We are calling upon President Jacob Zuma to declare April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)

Click here to find out more and sign: To: President of South Africa - President Jacob Zuma

https://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/President_of_South_Africa_President_Jacob_Zuma_Declare_April_as_Sexual_Assault_Awareness_Month_SAAM/?email

SAAM is an annual campaign to raise public awareness about sexual assault and educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence and is observed in April.

Each year during the month of April, organisations across South Africa such as community-based organizations, rape crisis centers, government agencies, businesses, campuses and individuals plan events and activities to highlight sexual violence as a public health, human rights and social justice issue and reinforce the need for prevention efforts.

In 2009, President Obama was the first United States president to proclaim April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We are calling on President Zuma to do the same in South Africa.

For your information when this proclamation was made in the United States of America, background organisations were polled in 2000 by the Resource Sharing Project (RSP) and the NSVRC to determine that the color teal was the preferred color for sexual assault awareness and prevention and that April was the preferred month to coordinate national sexual assault awareness activities.

· We are calling for the South African President to declare the colour teal, as it is internationally, as the preferred colour for sexual assault awareness and prevention.

American President’s Proclamation:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-marking-national-sexual-assault-awarness-month-2009

· We wish South Africa and international organisations to adopt sexual assault awareness and prevention symbol as a teal tear.

Meaning of the TEAR logo:

“The teardrop logo is a symbol for weeping at the violence

and degradation suffered by rape and abused victims; but,

more importantly, it is a symbol of cleansing, healing and hope.

As a nation we need to stand together, and the Sexual Assault Awareness Month will help us to do so.