LIHU‘E — There is still time to participate in YWCA’s social-media event, “Week Without Violence,” a global movement to raise awareness to end violence against women and girls.
Renae Hamilton-Cambeilh said people can show their support by taking a selfie using one of their fillable signs available online and posting them to their social media, tagging “WWV20 and #YWCAOahu.”
“While a Week Without Violence is a YWCA national program, it gives each association the opportunity to highlight the impact violence has in our local communities,” Hamilton-Cambeilh said.
“Kaua‘i is such a small, tight-knit community, domestic and sexual violence really has a strong negative impact on our island ‘ohana. Here at the YWCA we believe that it is possible to end violence and make Kaua‘i a safe home for everyone, but it does take the entire community working together to make this goal into reality,” she said.
According to the YWCA, every 90 seconds another woman in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. Out of 100 cases of rape, only 57 cases lead to an arrest. Of those 57 cases, only 11 are referred to prosecutors, and of that 11 cases, only seven lead to a felony conviction.
Alarmingly, only half of all domestic-violence incidents are reported to the police. The YWCA on Kaua‘i is the island’s only provider of 24-hours crisis services for domestic violence and sex assault, and provides the only family-violence shelter.
This year, in light of COVID-19 restrictions, YWCA has assembled a virtual vigil featuring videos of community leaders and survivors.
On Thursday, YWCA officials will be taking a photo with Mayor Derek Kawakami while he hands them a proclamation.
Info: ywcaweekwithoutviolence.org
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Stephanie Shinno, features, education, business, and community reporter, can be reached at 245-0424 or sshinno@thegardenisland.com.
