KCSDV’s Annual Advocacy Day Wednesday

The Kansas Coalition on Sexual and Domestic Violence’s annual Advocacy Day is Wednesday at the Statehouse.

“The goal of advocacy day is to create public knowledge and awareness of sexual and domestic violence and the victim advocacy services available and provided to victims and survivors of sexual and domestic violence in Kansas,” said Lucca Wang, Communications Coordinator for KCSDV. “Sexual and domestic violence would also include dating violence and stalking.”

There are a broad spectrum of acts that fall under the definition of sexual violence.

“Sexual violence is any sexual act that is perpetrated against someone’s will,” said Wang. “Sexual violence encompasses a range of offenses, including a completed, non-consensual sex act, which would be rape, an attempted non-consensual sex act, an abusive sexual act, unwanted touching and non-contact sexual abuse. Non-contact sexual abuse includes threatening sexual violence, exhibitionism, verbal and sexual harassment.”

The main feature of advocacy day will be displays in the rotunda of the Statehouse.

“They are life-size silhouettes, and they represent Kansas women who lost their lives through sexual and domestic violence,” said Wang. “I think we have about 75. They’re going to line the wings, the north and south wings of the rotunda area on the first floor and then they will line the circle of the rotunda on the second floor. It’s really powerful to see all of them together. Each display represents an actual person’s life.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas is a co-sponsor of the Silent Witnesses.