On Sunday, Civic Plaza was flooded with songs, speeches and support for those affected by sexual assault, in the hopes of eventually eliminating it altogether.
As part of the Rally Against Sexual Violence, the UNM Office of Equal Opportunity, the LoboRESPECT Advocacy Center, the New Mexico National Guard, the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, Planned Parenthood and other groups united to kick off Sexual Assault Awareness Month with the community-centered event.
Jim Harvey, executive director of the Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico, said he hopes the rally becomes an annual event, as he believes “people will be looking to learn all they can about how far-reaching efforts are to end sexual violence everywhere.”
Along with other issues, the conversation touched upon the over 5,300 untested rape kits tallied in a Nov. 2016 state audit. Roughly 75 percent of those are from the Albuquerque metropolitan area.
This pegged New Mexico as the state with the highest number of untested rape kits per capita nationwide, and some officials are promoting a bill that requires police to test kits within three months after receiving them.
During a speech at the event, State Auditor Tim Keller said these untested kits are envelopes filled with evidence like nail clippings and strands of hair that represent the “worst hour, the worst moment, in someone’s life.”
A survey showed that 20 percent of the reason why the rape kits were not taken care of sooner was because law enforcement did not believe the victims’ stories, he said.
Keller said the community cannot think that it simply does not have the funding for testing these kits.
“This issue has never been about money. It has been about priority,” he said, adding that, for the same price as the Albuquerque penguin exhibit and local baseball fields, officials can end the rape kit backlog.
In an interview with the Daily Lobo, UNM Office of Equal Opportunity Director Francie Cordova said rape culture today is viewed as myth, with misplaced prioritization and misconceptions about who is to blame.
This, among other reasons, is why Cordova sees the Rally Against Sexual Violence as an exciting community partnership with a holistic approach to ending sexual assault.
“More than ever, the national conversation is that sexual assault has always been around, (but) everyone in the community needs to advocate for those affected by sexual assault,” she said.
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However, just two weeks ago, an individual was raped on UNM's Johnson Field, bringing to light the question: How is sexual violence handled on campus?
“This is an important issue for people to know about,” said Carolyn Giron, a freshman civil engineering major. “It’s actually happening a lot at school too.”
Giron said she is familiar with the Blue Light Poles and knows there is a UNMPD presence on campus. She added that she feels the LoboAlerts system is effective, but sometimes a bit too late on its timing between incidents and the dissemination of the alerts. Still, at night, Giron feels “worried” and often chooses to meet her parents on campus to feel a bit safer.
Along with the newly established, mandatory Grey Area training, there has been a lot of activity on campus to change the way sexual assault is perceived via partnerships between the Office of Equal Opportunity and UNMPD, the Women’s Resource Center and other groups, Cordova said.
In the coming weeks, various campus groups will continue the discussion on sexual assault by hosting events, such as the “Protect the Pack Rally” and the “Student Alliance for Reproductive Justice — Survivors Stand at UNM” event.
Cordova said she would like to see a change in the conversation at UNM until there are no incidents of sexual assault.
She hopes this can be accomplished through various steps, including increasing the number of advocates for survivors.
District Attorney Raúl Torrez also voiced his opinion at Sunday’s rally.
“My hope is to build a world where my little girl does not have to come to a rally like this,” Torrez said, with a message for victims of sexual violence: The community stands by and with them.
Elizabeth Sanchez is a reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Beth_A_Sanchez.
