Monthlong effort to target scourge of sexual assault

In Utah, one in three women will experience some form of sexual violence during her life.

Headlines in local and national newspapers show the breadth of sexual assault:

March 22: SANTAQUIN — Police have arrested a 14-year-old boy who is accused of slashing a girl's throat while attempting to sexually assault her.

March 17: SYRACUSE — A rape investigation has taken a bizarre twist, resulting in the arrests of a Layton man and his foster mother. Police are also looking for potential sexual assault victims on the popular MySpace Web site.

March 15: RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A man who was prosecuted for a 1984 sexual assault after he sent the victim a letter of apology two decades later as part of a 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous program faces sentencing today ... .

Feb. 8: ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Teachers and administrators at Central Elementary School knew they had a problem with F.H., a 12-year-old who had been accused of going into a bathroom stall and sexually assaulting a first-grade boy.

Rape is Utah's only category of violent crime whose rate exceeds the national average, and those are just the rapes that are reported. Experts say the actual number is much higher.

The Rape Recovery Center and other community organizations are calling on the public to put a stop to sexual violence through awareness, advocacy and action. Participation can help create an environment where men, women and children are safe in their relationships, homes, neighborhoods, schools and workplaces, they say.

The following activities are planned in observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month:

• April 5 — "Exposing Masculinity and Building Allies: A Workshop for Men by Men," a workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on topics including sexism, gender awareness and men as allies; Saltair Room in the University of Utah's Union Building. Admission is free.

• April 9 — "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes," screening of documentary about manhood and violence with filmmaker Byron Hurt, 6 p.m., Union Ballroom at the University of Utah. Admission is free.

• April 10 — "Open Window," screening of a hopeful film that tackles post-assault recovery with director Mia Goldman; 7 p.m. at Trolley Square Theaters. Admission is free.