Events

The 24 Hour Rape Free Zone

This past October was ASAP's first 24 Hour Rape Free Zone. This event is designed to bring together members of the campus and community into a safe, educational, and pleasant environment for raising awareness of the issues and facts of sexual assault and encouraging prevention.

The Goals of the 24 Hour Rape Free Zone:

• to educate campus and community about the problem of sexual assault
• to provide an atmosphere conducive to healing from sexual assault
• to create and atmosphere for 24 hours where all persons may unite and interact in an effort to promote sexual assault prevention.

Activities take action on Polk Place (Lower Quad) of the UNC-CH Campus, which is taped off by the police department to ensure and emphasize a safe environment.

Activities include:

• Information from different organizations(NOW local chapter, OCRCC, the Women's Center, QNC, Student Health Services, etc.)
• Nationally and locally recognized speakers on the subject of sexual assault
• Dinner and entertainment performances
• 24 hour counseling booth and resources for persons healing from sexual assault
• Candlelight vigl and campout
• Purple Ribbon campaign in support of survivors
• National Clothesline Project
• Silhouette Project




A clothesline, featuring shirts created by survivors of sexual violence as well as by friends of survivors, is hung throughout the zone.





Silhouettes hung during the event symbolize the statistic that 1 in 4 women will be sexually assaulted between the ages of 18-24. Every fourth heart of the silhouettes is broken.

Click Here to read The Daily Tarheel's coverage of The 24 Hour Rape Free Zone.

Take Back the Night is a candle lit walk protesting sexual violence. ASAP co-sponsors this event annually with the Women's Issues Network (WIN) during Women's History month (March). Take Back the Night promotes campus-wide involvement for both students and faculty. The march gives voice to a socially-silenced problem and is an effort to overcome the fears of nighttime safety resulting from the existence of sexual assault. This event allows victims and survivors to speak out against sexual violence and help reclaim the night.

The 1998 Carolina Take Back the Night March was held on Wednesday, March 24th. It was co-sponsored by the (WIN) and ASAP. The crowd marched from the pit through campus to Franklin St., down Columbia St. and ending the march at the pit. Approximately 60 women and men were in attendance this year. It marked the most successful march to date!! We would like to thank you for your ongoing support in making our streets safer. Most of all, we look forward to seeing you next year!

Info below taken from www.montana.edu/wwwwomen/march.htm:

The first Take Back the Night event began in England in 1877 as a women only protest against the violence and fear women encountered walking the streets at night. The first Take Back the Night March in the USA was held in San Francisco in 1978 to protest violence against women, particularly sexual assault. Since then, Take Back the Night events have spread across the nation broadening in perspective and taking on many forms.

Click Here to read The Daily Tarheel's coverage of The Take Back the Night March.