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Sexual Assault Center of Northwest Georgia Launches New Campaign 'Step Up. Step
In.' to Prevent Sexual Bullying
 A
collaborative campaign to stop sexual bullying among adolescents and teens
is coming to Rome. The campaign - Step Up. Step In. - is headed by the
Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) in partnership with the Georgia
Network to End Sexual Assault (GNESA) and the Sexual Assault Center of
Northwest Georgia.
"The campaign is designed to prevent sexual bullying in Rome," says Dr.
Kimberly Redding, director of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention,
Georgia Department of Community Health. "We are teaching adolescents and
teens in the community about the offensive behaviors that can be sexual
bullying so they do not perpetrate them against each other. Further, we are
teaching youth and adults how to respond if they witness, hear about or
suspect any form of sexual bullying."
Sexual bullying defines a broad category of adolescent and teen behavior
that includes unwanted touching and groping, sharing obscene images,
spreading sexually charged rumors about classmates and more. It can be
violent or non-violent and affects children across the country.
Nationally, nearly half of seventh- through 12th-grade students experienced
some form of sexual harassment electronically or in-person during the 2010 -
2011 school year, according to the American Association of University Women.
Victims said sexual harassment affected their study habits, fueled their
reluctance to attend school and even drove feelings of physical illness.
"Sexual bullying can subtly or blatantly affect our community's children,"
says Kim Davis, executive director of the Sexual Assault Center of Northwest
Georgia. "It can be difficult to detect, but its consequences are real. We
are very excited to have the Step Up. Step In. initiative in our community."
"Research shows many teens and adolescents may not even realize they are
doing it because the behavior is perceived as socially acceptable," says
GNESA CEO Jennifer Bivins. "The messages to our youth can be simple: Stop
touching and groping others. Stop gossiping about sexual acts. Stop
spreading rumors about someone's perceived sexual orientation. Stop sending
lewd messages to others. It's not funny, and the behavior will not be
tolerated in our schools, in our homes or in our communities."
What began as statewide research and a series of focus groups in 2010 has
now materialized into a pilot campaign underway in Rome and three other
Georgia cities, including Blairsville; Jonesboro; and Savannah - in
partnership with local sexual assault centers and other partners.
For more information about the Step Up. Step In. campaign, visit
Facebook.com/StepUpStepIn or
Twitter.com/StepUp_StepIn; or call the Sexual Assault Center of
Northwest Georgia at (706) 292-9024.
-Reprinted with permission from the Rome News-Tribune
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