Display of orange flags is message on prevalence of sexual assault

Staff Reports Posted 2 April 2018 at 8:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – There are 720 orange flags outside the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church in Albion, a display that sends a message about the prevalence of sexual assault.

RESTORE Sexual Assault Services, a program of Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York, has put the flags out during Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. Each of the five counties that RESTORE serves (Monroe, Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming and Livingston) is hosting a display in April emphasizing the role communities play in standing against sexual violence, RESTORE officials said.

This year, the displays features 720 small orange flags, representing a stark statistic: every two minutes, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted. That’s 720 every day.

The display supports survivors, challenges “locker room talk” and helps raise awareness of resources available to become educated, help survivors and prevent sexual assault.

The flags will be on display throughout April. Additional flag displays will travel across the region over the month, hosted by the colleges with whom RESTORE partners for advocacy, education and support.

For information on the flag displays, Sexual Assault Awareness Month or for volunteer opportunities with RESTORE, email RESTORE@ppcwny.org.

For more information on RESTORE, click here.

RESTORE 24-hour hotlines: 1-800-527-1757 (Livingston, Wyoming, Orleans and Genesee Counties) and 585-546-2777 (Monroe County).

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