County Executive Melissa Agard Proclaims April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Dane County

March 31, 2025
execmedia@danecounty.gov, 608-800-1127
County Executive

MADISON, WI – County Executive Melissa Agard today proclaimed April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Dane County, urging the community to stand with survivors, raise awareness, and commit to preventing sexual violence in all its forms. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, approximately 81% of women and 43% of men experience sexual assault and/or harassment in their lifetime.

“This month, we honor and uplift the survivors of sexual assault and recommit ourselves to building a community where everyone can feel safe, respected, and heard,” said County Executive Agard. “Sexual violence is a deeply traumatic experience that impacts far too many individuals—especially women, children, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. In Dane County, we are working every day to ensure survivors have access to support, and that justice, healing, and prevention remain our shared priorities.”

 

Dane County residents are encouraged to join people across the country on Tuesday, April 1st by wearing teal and sharing messages of support using #WearTealDay and #SAAM2025 on social media.

 

Sexual violence includes any unwanted sexual contact, harassment, abuse, or assault. It affects people of all ages, races, and backgrounds, and is most often perpetrated by someone the survivor knows. According to data from local advocacy groups, hundreds of Dane County residents seek services each year after experiencing sexual violence—many of them young people.

 

Agard emphasized the critical work being done in the county to support survivors and raise awareness, including the efforts of Dane County’s Rape Crisis Center, YWCA Madison, DAIS, UNIDOS, and other community partners who provide trauma-informed counseling, 24/7 crisis response, legal advocacy, and prevention education.

 

“These organizations are lifelines,” said Agard. “They not only help people heal, they help our entire community become more informed, compassionate, and responsive.”

 

“No one should feel unsafe at school, at work, on the bus, or in their own home,” Agard said. “We all have a role to play in ending sexual violence—by listening to survivors, believing them, and taking real action to address the root causes of this crisis.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual violence, help is available. Contact the Rape Crisis Center's 24-Hour Helpline at (608) 251-7273 or visit www.thercc.org for confidential support and resources.