A SUPPORTIVE friend and family member of victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, Ann Moses said she feels sad to see people hurt by their loved ones.
“This abuse is real and it happens. Most of the time, the victims refuse to speak up. They keep the pain and the experience to themselves,” Moses said.
She was one of the more than 500 students, advocates and community members who joined this year’s Sexual Assault Awareness Walk in Kagman dubbed, “Walk & Roll Against Sexual Violence” on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.
“If you need help and you need to get out of the situation you are in right now, get help. We can stop the cycle of abuse happening within our families and in the community if we work together,” Moses said.
She believes sexual abuse and domestic violence are serious issues that have to be “brought out” and addressed.
“Many of the people I love and I know experience abuse, but they refuse to say anything and endure in silence. My message to them is to speak up so we can all help each other,” she said.
Students of Marianas High School and Kagman High School also participated in the walk which was initiated by the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence with the assistance of the CNMI Sexual Assault Response Team or SART.
A group of system-based and community-based professionals who provide indirect and direct services to victims of sexual assault and abuse, SART is constituted by the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence, Karidat Social Services, the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Public Safety, the Division of Youth Services, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, the CNMI Drug Court, the Substance Abuse Addiction and Rehabilitation Program, the Center for Living Independently, Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems Inc., and the CNMI Public School System.
Students of Marianas High School and Kagman High School join the walk against domestic and sexual violence in Kagman on Monday.
Savannah Lyn Delos Santos, left, of the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence and educator Bonny Cruz.
