Photo courtesy of Dallas City Council.
The City of Dallas honored the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center (DARCC) with a proclamation, recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
DARCC and city council members held a commemoration event at Dallas City Hall on Friday, April 5 to officially proclaim April as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Along with the proclamation, the City also made a donation drive for essential items for victims of sexual assault. District 13 residents, and other Dallas citizens, contributed to the drive with shampoo, toothpaste, soap and other hygiene products at Marcus Recreation Center.
The event also included a press conference featuring District 13 councilmember Gay Donnel Willis, councilmember Jesse Moreno, the Dallas Police Department, DARCC CEO Amy Jones, and Parkland Hospital’s director of nursing Brittany Pahl to raise awareness about sexual assault survivors’ experiences. The press conference also heard from law enforcement, local government officials, hospitals, and nonprofits on their efforts to address and prevent sexual assault, as well as hold perpetrators accountable.
Pahl highlighted Parkland Hospital’s commitment to supporting victims of sexual assault, offering a range of services including individual counseling, group therapy, crisis counseling and access to 24/7 victim advocates and Sexual Assault Nurse Exam (SANE) certified forensic nurses on site for over two decades.
This month, Parkland Hospital and DPD launched a pilot program allowing victims to report assaults over the phone instead of waiting for an in-person officer response.
DARCC is the sole independent rape crisis center in Dallas County, providing free confidential support to anyone affected by sexual violence.
