WEST LONG BRANCH — Darkness on the Monmouth University campus was momentarily broken by the illumination of candles as more than 100 students marched to raise awareness of sexual assault and violence on Sept. 22.
The ninth annual “Take Back the Night” vigil and march started at the steps of Wilson Hall, where the students rallied to “shatter the silence to end the violence” and reflect on those who have been affected.
“Tonight is not about celebration. Tonight is about remembering. This is a horrific issue that folks have to deal with, but we have to be aware of it,” Monmouth University President Paul Brown said.
“Sexual violence and sexual assault is a horrific aspect of our community and our lives. It exists, and we have to fight it.”
The students responded in unison with a rallying cry.
Brown looked at the assembled group — made up of athletes, campus residents, administrators and faculty — and then asked for freshman students to raise their hands.
“Your job is to spread the word each year to a larger and larger group,” he directed, before asking all the students to reflect on those they know who have been personally affected by sexual assault and violence.
“We have to fight that in terms of how you support each other, how you support your family and friends. You need to think about that,” Brown said. “Think about why you are here tonight and think about what you can do on a personal level to make a difference.”
The group, illuminated by the flicker of candles, grew quiet. One by one, the attendees began to move in a procession across campus, past several residence halls and back up the steps of the university’s main administration building.
Along the way, the group paused periodically to listen to survivors’ stories about the different scenarios that young men and women find themselves in when sexual assault occurs. Discussions about the emotional aftermath and the options that victims have also took place.
Aside from the emotional and physical trauma, survivors of sexual violence suffer academically and are more likely to leave school, according to Emily Shown, outreach and volunteer specialist with the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NJCASA).
Along with medical and counseling services, lost productivity, and the pain and suffering, the cost of sexual assault is estimated at $110,000 per episode of sexual violence against an adult.
“Here at Take Back the Night, we have the opportunity to focus on the problem of sexual assault and violence and abuse, and to commit to those actions we can take as individuals and a community to end sexual violence,” Shown said.
“The perpetrators are few, but their impact is enormous. We have strength in numbers. We must show that strength, starting now.”
NJCASA program serves more than 5,000 survivors and nearly 3,000 loved ones. The nonprofit is just one of many focused on ending sexual assault and violence.
According to 180 Turning Lives Around, Hazlet-based nonprofit, the largest group of victims of sexual assault and violence is young adults between the ages of 18 and 24.
“It’s definitely prominent in younger women. Eighty percent are under the age of 30, and 40 percent are under 18 that are sexually assaulted,” Barbara Lovell-Napoli of 180 Turning Lives Around said.
“These events help. I can’t tell you how many times after an event people will come up to us. Being in an environment like this opens the floodgates.”
Lovell-Napoli said that after superstorm Sandy, the nonprofit saw a spike in incidents of sexual assault and domestic violence, making this year’s “Take Back the Night” all the more important.
Take Back the Night is an international initiative, and for the past 35 years in the United States, has taken place at thousands of colleges, universities, rape crisis centers and women’s centers.
At Monmouth University, the initiative is a collaboration between the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services and the Office of Residential Life.
According to Thomas McCarthy, assistant director of counseling and psychological services, a few students may come forward to report an incident of sexual violence, but there are many more incidents that go unreported.
“Change begins with each of us tonight, not to stand idly by or remain silent when anyone has [been] or is in danger of being sexually assaulted,” McCarthy told the group.
“Each of us can make a difference by shattering the silence and stopping the violence.”