Apr 11, 2002 By Nikki Stiles 4 min read

CALIFORNIA – Last year, four young men walked from the coast of San Francisco to Washington, D.C. But, this was not four men trying to fulfill some childhood dream of walking across the country. These were four men on a very important mission. Their name, “One in Four,” is symbolic of their mission. One in four women will be sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. Through their walk, Steven McAllister, Pat Hanlin, Joe McArthy and Mike Charbonneau raised funds for the Victims Assistance Fund at Central Michigan University and increased awareness about the problems associated with sexual assault.

The four men were guest speakers at California University of Pennsylvania’s PEACE (Prevention, Education, Advocacy for Change and Empowerment) and SSART (Student Sexual Assault Team) eighth annual “Take Back the Night” program on Wednesday.

The theme of this year’s “Take Back the Night” was “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes.” The meaning of this theme was to convey that sexual assault is not just a “women’s issue” anymore.

“I want you to close your eyes and picture four women that you care about,” McAllister told the crowd of mostly women outside the Natali Student Center.

“What we are here to tell you tonight is that one of the four women that you’re looking at right now will be the victim of sexual assault,” he said.

Although some people wondered why four men decided to become advocates against a crime that primarily is committed against women, Hanlin said that it is a crime that affects everyone.

“It’s not a women’s problem. It’s a social problem,” he said.

McAllister said that one of the questions that men and some women typically ask is what about the woman who lies about being sexually assaulted. He said that according to FBI statistics that only occurs in about two to four percent of the cases. Which is the same percentage of someone lying about any other type of crime.

“The likelihood of a woman lying about being sexually assaulted is about the same as me lying about having my wallet stolen and being beat up,” McAllister said. “The first thing you can do if someone tells you they’ve been sexually assaulted is believe them.”

Believe them, listen to them and don’t react with violence against the perpetuator.

“We need to take the violence out of the situation,” Charbonneau said.

The next step to helping a victim is to take them to a hospital where a rape evidence exam can be done and recommend that the victim seek counseling, Hanlin said.

The best scenario would be to stop the sexual assault before it happens. Charbonneau said that if you see someone slipping pills into a drink or someone taking advantage of a person who is intoxicated, try and stop it.

“If you see something happening. Do something. That is one life that is going to be significantly better because you did something,” Charbonneau said.

But, there are still victims.

Pam Burns is one in four. Eleven years ago, a man entered her home through an open window, beat her horrendously and sexually assaulted her. She endured 24 punches to her body and had to spend a week in the hospital.

Burns stood in front of the crowd and courageously told her story. She struggled to get every word out to convey her message.

“Things happen and it’s not your fault,” she said.

The man who physically and sexually assaulted Burns was sentenced to 6 1/2 to 13 years in prison.

Burn’s physical wounds have healed, but the mental scars still remain.

Her mind is still flooded with memories. Her least favorite part of the day is morning, when the birds are chirping.

Eleven years ago that is the sound she heard when the perpetrator left her house just as the sun was coming up.

“Your whole life is just destroyed in a matter of minutes and you don’t ever, ever, ever get it back,” she said.

The program ended with a mile-long walk down Third Street. The crowd carried candles as they marched and chanted, “Out of our homes, into the street. We won’t be raped. We won’t be beat.”

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, free and confidential help is available at The PEACE Project 724-938-5707 or e-mail at peace@cup.edu.