Washington mayor declares April Sexual Assault Awareness Month

City of Washington Mayor Jaron Rosien declared April Sexual Assault Awareness Month as members of the Washington County Coalition Against Sexual Assault looked on at the city council meeting Tuesday night.

Barb Duder and Deanna Hansen presented to the council and explained they were leading a campaign to 'teal out the towns,” teal being the color of sexual assault awareness. The duo explained they are leading several social media campaigns where people are coming forward to tell their story.

Washington County attorney John Gish spoke on their behalf and explained he felt the work they do is not only important on the surface but changing lives.

'Rape, sexual assault does happen in Washington County. We can try to hide from it as much as possible, but it is prevalent, it is happening,” he said. 'The statistics show that 32 out of 100 rapes are ever reported to law enforcement so law enforcement and I are working hard to change that.”

He said the mission the coalition proclaims, to help victims and survivors through their healing process, is incredibly beneficial to the county.

'They are a tremendous asset and I just want to thank them for what they do,” he said.

Rosien then read a proclamation declaring April Sexual Assault Awareness Month which can be read in city hall.

'Thank you for your attention to this real problem,” he said.