On the lawn outside the Johnson County Courthouse are 181 miniature pink and blue figures, each representing a victim of sexual assault.
The tally represents the total number of primary sexual assault victims provided services in 2018 by ASSIST Indiana, an agency that helps victims of various forms of violence.
The 159 pink figures represent women and girls, and 22 blue figures represent men and boys. The people represented range in age from 4 to 80 years old, said Ashley Reagan, the organization’s community outreach educator.
The display is one way that ASSIST Indiana is hoping to raise awareness for sexual assault this month.
“Not a lot of people in Johnson County know sexual assault is even an issue,” Reagan said. “It’s our goal to spread awareness, education and services for people affected by sexual violence. Specifically in April, we’re trying to spread the word that sexual violence is happening and it affects everyone in the community.”
ASSIST Indiana not only helps primary victims of sexual assault, but also secondary victims. While a child may be a primary victim, for example, that child’s mother and siblings may experience secondary trauma and need to attend therapy as well, Reagan said.
Even people who don’t think they are affected by sexual assault are, because people they talk to every day might be victims, she said.
“You might not know if you’re talking to someone who has been affected,” Reagan said. “It could be a person you work with, it could be your neighbor.”
All of the services are free of charge.
The organization provides multiple forms of care to address sexual violence. One form consists of prevention, including education. That could mean talking to students in schools about what consent means, Reagan said. For people who may have recently been victimized, the organization offers crisis intervention, such as accompanying a victim as they go to the hospital for a medical exam so they aren’t alone.
Additionally, ASSIST Indiana can provide victims and their families with counseling and support groups, she said.
Along with the display outside the courthouse, the group will hold a fundraising effort to “flush out” sexual violence, raising awareness with a teal toilet that will travel through Franklin. Teal, the color for sexual assault awareness, will also appear in the form of sprinkles in bakeries like Benjamin’s Coffeehouse, 1823 Bakehouse and Main & Madison Market Café throughout April.
ASSIST Indiana will also hold Take Back the Night on April 11, a march from Franklin College down Jefferson Street to raise awareness for victims of sexual assault. Additionally, the organization will be present at Rock the Block on April 27, a 5k and 10k run which will collect registration fees and distribute them to charity. Whichever Johnson County charity gets named the most by runners will take home the cash, Reagan said.
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ASSIST Indiana, which provides services for victims of multiple forms of violence, put up a display Monday featuring 181 figurines, all representing a victim of sexual assault. A banner behind the figurines explains their significance. The display outside the Johnson County Courthouse will be up through April 11. A separate display, to raise awareness for victims of child abuse, will be up from April 22 to 29.
The current display is sponsored by Crystal Graphics and Love More.
For more information on ASSIST Indiana or to donate, visit assistindiana.org. You can follow the organization on Facebook: ASSIST Indiana, or on Instagram: @assistindiana.
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