Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes… not an easy thing to literally do, but on Wednesday night in St. Cloud a group of men walked down a New York Avenue during a crowded St. Cloud Monthly Market event, while wearing heels, to raise awareness of domestic violence in the community and to get people listening, learning, thinking, and talking about domestic violence, and how we can end this terribly tragic reality in our community.
“Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” is an awareness event for victim survivors of domestic violence bringing awareness to our community about what survivors experience, and how we can come together as a community by walking a mile in her shoes,” Executive Director Tammy Douglass shared with Positively Osceola at the start of the event.
Osceola County Clerk & Comptroller Kelvin Soto Esq. spoke prior to the walk, “our office serves dozens of victims who come through our doors, seeking the court’s assistance to break free from a life of domestic violence. According to data from the Florida Department of health, occurrences of domestic violence in Osceola County exceed the state averages with our county ranking 18th out of 67 in terms of occurrences. We are happy to join our friends at this important event, to “walk a mile in her shoes, standing with victims at every stage of their battle.”
Also showing their support for the fight against violence at the event were State Attorney Monique Worrell, representatives from Congressman Darren Soto’s office, St. Cloud City Council Members Shawn Fletcher and Kolby Urban, Toho Water Authority Executive Director Todd Swingle, and more importantly, members of the community who were filling the streets and sidewalks during the walk, hearing, and hopefully sharing the message of hope and survival.
Here are some domestic violence statistics:
- Every two minutes another American is sexually assaulted.
- One out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed, 2.8% attempted).
- 11.2% of all students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation (among all graduate and undergraduate students).
- Male college-aged students (18-24) are 78% more likely than non-students of the same age to be a victim of rape or sexual assault.
- Female college-aged students (18-24) are 20% less likely than non-students of the same age to be a victim of rape or sexual assault.
- “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” is an international men’s march where men and boys lead the way on the road to end sexual and domestic violence.
NEED IMMEDIATE HELP?
For immediate assistance, please dial 911. If you are in immediate need or wish to speak with a domestic violence counselor or advocate, please call our 24-hour crisis hotline at (407) 847-8562 or text us at (321) 306-0677.
