Held annually in April, Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Month is the nationally designated month to acknowledge the importance of communities working together to prevent sexual assault, child abuse and neglect. Throughout the Pee Dee this is the daily, year-round work of Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault.
Pee Dee Coalition is a non-profit, volunteer driven; United Way supported organization that operates on the premise that reducing all forms of interpersonal violence is the business of everyone who values the basic human desire to be free from physical threat and harm. Our vision is that these efforts throughout the Pee Dee region will make all our communities safer and more compassionate.
For April 2016 Pee Dee Coalition is highlighting the largely ignored issues of sexual assault of men and sexual abuse of boys. Frequently issues of rape and child sexual abuse are viewed solely from the perspective of female victims. Researchers have found that 1 in 6 men have experienced unwanted or abusive sexual experiences before age 18. And this is probably a low estimate, since it doesn’t include non-contact experiences, which can also have lasting negative effects.
What the best research tells us:
• A 2005 study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, on San Diego Kaiser Permanente HMO members, reported that 16% of males were sexually abused by the age of 18.
• A 2003 national study of U.S. adults reported that 14.2% of men were sexually abused before the age of 18.
• A 1998 study reviewing research on male childhood sexual abuse concluded that the problem is “common, under-reported, under-recognized, and under-treated.”
• A 1996 study of male university students in the Boston area reported that 18% of men were sexually abused before the age of 16.
• A 1990 national study of U.S. adults reported that 16% of men were sexually abused before the age of 18.
Pee Dee Coalition, a member organization of the United Way, participates with a variety of partners throughout the region in events developed especially for Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Month.   For more information contact Pee Dee Coalition at 843-669-4694.

PROCLAMATION—Dillon Mayor Todd Davis and Latta Mayor Earl Bullard recently proclaimed Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Month  for the month of April. Pictured are (l-r) Sierra Moore, Pee Dee Coalition Intern/Volunteer from Florence-Darlington Technical College; Kim Carter, Dillon Police Department; Captain David Lane, Dillon Police Department; Chief Wayne Campbell, Lake View Police Department; Officer William Scott, Lake View Police Department;  and Rebecca Tyson, Pee Dee Coalition. (Photo by Betsy Finklea/The Dillon Herald)