The following article is the fifth and final article of a five-week series focusing on raising awareness about sexual assault and child abuse. April is both Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Awareness month and it is our hope to educate our local community on these two very serious issues. 2 in 5 women and 1 in 5 men will experience a form of sexual assault in their lifetime. Locally, the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center has been serving victims of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and child abuse since 1978. Last year, HCWC served 2,111 victims of abuse (face-to-face) from Hays and Caldwell Counties. 749 of those were adult victims of sexual assault and 545 were victims of child abuse.
As Child Abuse Awareness Month comes to a close we focus on a faith-based awareness initiative, Blue Sunday. This year Blue Sunday takes place on April 28 and is recognized by various churches in our community.
Blue Sunday began in 1994 with twenty churches participating. Today, over 7.4 million churches across five continents participate in Blue Sunday. On this day, faith-based communities are encouraged to take time in their services to pray for victims of child abuse and bring awareness to an issue that impacts 175 children in Texas daily.
