Courthouse rally slated for Friday in Fayette
To commemorate sexual assault awareness, child abuse prevention and victims’ rights month, two Fayette County social service agencies are hosting a rally outside the courthouse at 10 a.m. Friday. The yearly rally also promotes the Men Against Sexual Violence (MASV) program in which men are asked to sign a pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about sexual violence, and to use their resources to support change.
In addition to local officials, mental health professional Jo Jankoski and representatives of the Crime Victim’s Center of Fayette County (CVC) and Fayette County Children and Youth Services (CYS) also will speak about how sexual violence is affecting the community.
The two agencies and the Uniontown Exchange Club are sponsoring the rally.
The program is open to the public, and students from Laurel Highlands and Geibel high schools also are going to attend, said Gina D’Auria, the county casework manager for CYS.
D’Auria said she is pleased to see the schools participate in the MASV program.
“They’re ultimately going to be the ones who change the future, so I’m glad we’re getting to them young,” she said.
She noted that the number of abused children in the county continues to rise.
Last year, CYS received 353 calls about suspected child abuse. D’Auria said 80 of those were substantiated and 38 percent of that number involved sexual abuse of children, an ongoing problem in Fayette County, D’Auria said.
Also in 2005, D’Auria said that there were 431 referrals to CYS for general protective services that involved 897 children. General protective services are for the calls that are not directly related to physical, sexual or mental abuse of children.
A total of 151 of those cases were substantiated, and those involved 306 children, D’Auria said.
D’Auria said that CYS officials also have seen an increase in the number of babies who come to the agency because they are born addicted to drugs, and removed directly from the hospital. D’Auria said there are an estimated 145 to 150 children in placement, whether that be foster, group of other types of housing.
“That’s getting worse by the day,” she said.
After the 10 a.m. rally, those gathered are invited to process from the courthouse, down Main Street to the CVC offices. There will be a picnic-style lunch behind the CVC building. A Chinese auction will also will be held.
Every man is invited and encouraged to stop at the center and sign the pledge, said CVC fiscal manager Lisa Harvilla.
At this year’s cookout, D’Auria said, attendees will be entertained by the Laurel Highlands and Geibel’s choirs and the Laurel Highlands jazz band.
The cookout runs from after the rally until 2:30 p.m., D’Auria said.
The rally has been held every April for five years because the month is dedicated to sexual assault awareness, child abuse prevention and victims’ rights.
The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape started the MASV program in July 2001.
Thus far, the MASV Web site indicated that 7,000 men have signed the pledge to end sexual violence in the state.
MASV statistics indicated that, each year, an estimated 876,064 rapes of adult women, and 111,290 rapes of adult men occurred.