SALT LAKE CITY – Sexual assault can be a subject some find difficult to discuss, but a group of college students don’t believe it has to be that way.
The V-Day Club at Westminster College teamed up with the Rape Recovery Center and several local performers to put on the “Until The Violence Stops” concert Friday, and the concert was part of a larger recognition of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
The proceeds from the event, which also featured a silent auction, were donated to the Rape Recovery Center. Heather Enge, V-Day Club president at Westminster College, said they wanted to create an atmosphere more conducive to conversation about an often sensitive subject. V-Day is a national movement focusing on preventing violence against women and girls, and the movement draws in large part on annual performances of the play “The Vagina Monologues.”
Enge said Friday’s event took a different approach than their annual fundraiser involving the play.
“Not everyone likes talking about vaginas, so it’s really kind of a more laid back way to get people involved and thinking about the issues at hand,” she said. “…We wanted to provide a space that doesn’t feel oppressive but will start conversation, and get people thinking about the issues, and what they can do to stop it.”
According to Utah’s Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health, rape is the only violent crime in Utah that occurs at rates higher than the national average. The website states one in eight women and one in 50 men will experience rape at some point in their life. One in three women will experience some form of sexual violence in their lives, according to the website.
According to the press release, Juana Ghani, Bombshell Academy, GenreZero, Wildcat Strike and Barbaloot Suitz took the stage at the event, which had various sponsors that included KRCL, SLUG Magazine, and Onion Street. Packages for the silent auction were provided by groups like Raunch Records, Diabolical Records, Urban Lounge, Exigent Records, 8ctopus Records, Graywhale Entertainment, and Empty Set Records.
