Unconventional program addresses sexual assault, engages Airmen

  • Published
  • By Airman Ryan Conroy
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  In an effort to engage Airmen in an open discussion on sexual assault misconceptions, Afterburner, a civilian-run production, addressed sexual assault, hooking up, rape and bystander intervention May 7 at the mass briefing facility.

During the interactive training session, Heather Imrie, Catharsis program development director, discussed the differences between healthy and unhealthy sexual encounters, the stereotypes of hooking up and the perpetuation of a social culture that supports rapists.

"Rape is an ugly subject," said Imrie. "I don't mean to offend, but when we try to sterilize it too much, individuals don't want to talk about it. I want to talk about it the way people actually talk about it."

Imrie says there is a direct correlation between deprecating comments and the number of sexually-related incidents each year. Continued use of this type of communication creates a corrosive work environment.

"We create a social atmosphere where negative, derogatory language has become a part of day-to-day life," said Imrie. "Women who experience hostile work environments are at a six times greater risk of sexual assault."

The use of explicit language is apparent in Afterburner. While some question the necessity of such language, Capt. Ivan Jorge, 31st Fighter Wing sexual assault response coordinator, says it drives a point across.

"It brings out the prejudices that we use and don't even realize it," said Jorge. "It was used with a purpose and it made us realize the negative effects we have on people in the work place."

Also, during the briefing, Imrie discussed bystander intervention. Airmen were trained on using the information they learned to devise successful bystander intervention strategies. Referring to the wingman theory, Imrie said everyone needs to look after each other and do what is necessary to eliminate sexual assault, which in turn will help to decrease a community's tolerance for sexual predation.

In a time where the military has been the focus of several recent sexual assault scandals, Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey Craver, 31st FW command chief, calls for a revolution against military sexual predators.

"We need to find these individuals and get them out of our ranks," said Craver. "The uniform should stand for trust, honor, dignity, security and respect and we need to win that back."

"It's on us to fix it," said Jorge. "We need to ask ourselves, 'what are we doing and how often do we fulfill our commitment to taking care of each other?'"

For more information on sexual assault prevention, call your local SARC.