Midlands men stood a little taller this Thursday as the fifth-annual “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” march kicked off outside of the State House.
Participating men, including Attorney General Alan Wilson, hiked a long mile in high heels in order to raise awareness and funds to support survivors of sexual violence.
As part of April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the event aims to involve men in the effort against sexual violence, the event’s website says. Run under the banner of the Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands, one of 14 rape crisis centers in South Carolina, the event is billed as a family-friendly event that helps support sexual violence survivors throughout the Midlands and South Carolina.
Men walked in suits, in uniforms and in casual clothes to accent their footwear, creating an unusual parade that drew attention to the walkers and their message.
The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department led the fundraising charge at the start of the event. They raised $3,400 of their $4,000 goal.
Organizers say that by removing the taboos around sexual violence and building understanding and familiarity with the issue, the walks are designed both to prevent violence and to inform people about services in the community that help victims.
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating that more than 18 percent of women have experienced rape at some point in their lives, those services are widespread. The CDC calls sexual and intimate violence one of the “major public health problems in the United States.”
Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands, which services Richland, Lexington, Newberry and Sumter counties, says it “(supports) survivors in recovery from the trauma associated with sexual assault and abuse and educates the community to identify and prevent sexual violence.”