Staying safe online during lockdown

April 18, 2022 10:58 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook

Every year in April, Peace Corps Vanuatu joins the other Peace Corps countries around the world including the United States to raise awareness on the topic of Sexual Assault.
T h e g o a l o f S e x u a l Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) is for individuals and organizations to raise public awareness about sexual harassment, assault, and abuse and educate communities on how to prevent them.
April 2022 marks the 21st anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
SAAM was first observed in 2001, in the US, and originated from “Sexual Assault Awareness Week”, which victim advocates used to host events and marches centered on anti-sexual violence efforts.
The SAAM 2022 theme is “Building Safe Online Spaces Together” and continues to build off of last year’s theme, “We Can Build Safe Online Spaces”.

Sexual violence can happen anywhere, including online.
Peace Corps Vanuatu has decided to adjust the theme to our current COVID-19 situation using the theme, “Staying safe online during lockdown” and is planning different virtual activities.
On Tuesdays for the month of April, wear teal clothing or a teal ribbon. Why teal?
Teal symbolizes trust, devotions, and healing – all of which play an important role in SAAM For Wednesday 27th of April, Denim Day, we can all wear jeans/denim with a purpose. D e n i m d a y a s k s c o m m u n i t y m e m b e r s , officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion statement by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual violence.
Denim Day campaign began after a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court in 1998 where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped the person who raped her, remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim and
holding placards that read “Jeans: An Alibi for Rape”.
Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual harassment, abuse, assault and rape.
On Thursday 28th of April, Peace Corps Vanuatu will host another live webinar with support from our Government partners, who are experts in
their fields to speak to the
theme of Staying Safe Online
During Lock Down. Stay tuned for the link, it will be widely advertised and you are welcomed to join the dialog to ask questions to our panelists from CERT Vanuatu, Cyber Crime Unit-Vanuatu Police, Vanuatu Women’s Centre, National Child Social Welfare Department of Community Services, Mental Health unit from the Ministry of Health and Vanuatu Internet Governance Forum. Sexual assault is an issue that affects our entire community and together as a community of online users we can collaborate to ensure we are safe from abuse when we
are online.