Caroline, age 8, holds a sign on Thursday at the Freeman Center's rally to raise awareness of the effects of sexual assault and the resources available to victims.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Park Square fluttered with 255 small blue flags on Thursday night representing the number of the local victims of sexual assault the Elizabeth Freeman Center has helped in the past year.
Staff and supporters from the center held up awareness signs stating "Break the Silence" and "No Means No" – in English as well as Spanish.
"After people have been sexually assaulted, it's like their soul has died – they can't function," said Director of Clinical Services Jean Clarke-Mitchell as she held her hand-painted sign out to the honking cars driving by.
"Sexual assault causes mental illnesses; it's important to let people feel comfortable to come out and speak about it.
"At the Elizabeth Freeman Center we provide a safe environment that's free from shame - we just want people to know that we are there and we're willing to help them through it."
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month nationwide, and to acknowledge that and help bring awareness to the proclivity of assault cases in Berkshire County (and the resources available), the Freeman Center is holding a number of events during this time of year – starting with Thursday's rally, which was held not only for awareness but to honor the survivors of sexual assault.
"Everybody's really recognized and supported," said Heather Marshall. "And it's silent and confidential."
Heather's daughter Alannah, age 7, was also there to help place flags around the square and to walk the
sidewalks with her mother, holding high a paperboard sign that she could barely see over.
Elisa, a mother who also works with the Massachusetts RISE (Refugee and Immigrant Safety and Empowerment) program, said children should have a basic understanding of "consent" at even the youngest ages.
Elisa said she has used a book that deals with "ways to talk to kids for different issues, not just sex," as a guide.
RISE is just one of the services offered at the Freeman Center: it helps around 100 people per year "find [public] resources and to speak out and know that they have rights," said Elisa.
"Seventy to 80 percent of our clients are non-documented, so it's very hard for them to come forward. Even if they come to us, they won't come forward for a restraining order or public benefits," she said. "It's very hard for them, there's a lot of fear."
The center also works with an attorney at the Community Legal Aid office, who helps process applications for benefits or public assistance.
"We encourage everybody to just navigate the system and try to find a solution to their problems," Elisa said.
In addition to offering RISE services in South and Central counties at its Great Barrington and Pittsfield offices, the center serves around 1,500 women a year, offering free counseling (both in person and over a 24-hour hotline), shelter, information, referrals, and advocacy – which made the rally such a meaningful cause for those involved.
"Sexual assault causes a lot of economic issues for people: loss of jobs, loss of wages, loss of being and feeling connected to others," emphasized Clarke-Mitchell, who is also a licensed therapist and sees the snowball effect that assault can have over the course of a lifetime of choices and circumstances.
"The effects on [a victim's] life are devastating because they haven't been able to move past the trauma so that they can go to school, and they can make better wages, and they can stop using," she said. "A lot of people have addictions to food, alcohol, sex – one of the most profound things is that people find themselves being promiscuous and they're like: 'I'm just a bad person.'
"No, you're not, you were sexually abused!"
She cites sexual assault as one of the major causes of post-traumatic stress disorder, which is classified as a disability. Because of the fear and shame surrounding the experience of a sexual attack, many survivors and PTSD sufferers will never receive the help they are eligible for because they do not come forward.
Part of the mission of the rally at Park Square and other Freeman Center events is to offer hope to those victims who feel trapped by their experiences, and make them aware of the many ways to "reduce that sense of shame" as Clark-Mitchell puts it.
"We look at intimate partner sexual violence as well: a lot of people think, I'm in a relationship, I'm married - I'm not raped, I'm not sexually abused. Whenever you say no and you don't give consent ... it's a big problem."
In addition to the rally Thursday in Pittsfield, there will be ones in North Adams on April 16 and in Great Barrington on April 23, a Trivia Night at Thistle and Mirth on Monday, April 6, ("with a lot of giveaways and fun stuff and trivia based on strong women!" said staff member Colleen Nixon), "Take Back the Mic" at Mission that includes spoken word and music and is open to the public, and the annual Walk a Mile in September.
There is a great need in this community for help and advocacy for all victims of assault, and the Freeman Center is determined to work hard to provide it.
"We just want to show some support today," said Nixon. And from the sounds of honking traffic surrounding the Square, Berkshire County citizens feel the same way.
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Caroline, age 8, holds a sign on Thursday at the Freeman Center's rally to raise awareness of the effects of sexual assault and the resources available to victims.
