(SAN ANGELO, TX) The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) and the Texas School Safety Center are in San Angelo June 3-5 to prepare Texas students to educate their classmates about sexual violence. The conference, a part of the Students Taking Action for Respect (STAR) program, is in its fifth year. While attending the workshops, the nearly 250 Texas high school-aged attendees and their sponsors learn how to prevent teen dating violence and sexual harassment in their communities. The goal of the conference is to equip attendees with strategies for presenting this information to their peers at the start of the new school year. This is the first year for the conference in San Angelo.

The American Association of University Women study, Hostile Hallways: Bullying, Teasing and Sexual Harassment in School, found that 80 percent of American schoolchildren report they have experienced sexual harassment on campus. This report confirms that sexual harassment has become a fact of life for students. The STAR program, created by TAASA, incorporates positive messages directed at reducing sexual harassment and sexual violence among teens. The STAR Program trains high school students to present workshops and organize activities addressing sexual assault and sexual harassment while building an environment of respect within Texas schools. These student-led presentations allow STAR participants to increase sexual violence awareness among their peers.

“We know that young people are more likely to open up to peers regarding issues such as sexual harassment and sexual assault than to parents or teachers,” said TAASA Executive Director Annette Burrhus-Clay. “The STAR Program has helped Texas become a nationwide leader in trying to eliminate sexual violence from our schools.” The conference includes a dating violence panel discussion, featuring several survivors of dating violence and their families. This interaction between survivors and student leaders is designed to emphasize that the weapon used most often to commit sexual assault is not a gun or a knife, but a betrayal of trust.

Recent studies have shown that in Texas, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 20 men have been sexually assaulted. The majority of these victims are under the age of 18, making the education of teens and young adults about sexual violence paramount. Reporting these crimes is the first step in removing sexual predators from Texas communities however fewer than 1 of every 5 sexual assaults is ever reported to law enforcement. The STAR program emphasizes the options available to victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault including free and confidential counseling at local rape crisis centers.

Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA)
The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) is the statewide organization committed to ending sexual violence in Texas. A non-profit educational and advocacy organization based in Austin, TAASA member agencies comprise a statewide network of 80 crisis centers that serve rural as well as metropolitan areas. Founded in 1982, the agency has a strong record of success in community education, legal services, youth outreach, law enforcement training, legislative advocacy, and curricula and materials development. Additional information can be found at www.taasa.org. Local Sexual Assault Hotline Services
Concho Valley Rape Crisis Center
325-658-8888 or 1-800-656-HOPE