Prevent sexual assault

Assemblymember Ellen Young recently kicked off a sexual assault awareness and prevention seminar she initiated at the YWCA of Queens to educate and raise awareness on sexual assault.
She was joined by representatives from the Queens District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit and Flushing Hospital, who deal with this crime and its devastating aftermath almost daily.
Here, Young is shown demonstrating an arm lock on self-defense instructor, Ed Lee, at the seminar held at the Flushing YMCA on Saturday, April 26.
“Statistics show that there are over 73,000 cases of sexual assault every year in the United States, but it is the vast number of unreported cases that have made sexual assault known as a ‘silent crime.’ By raising awareness, we are working to ensure that we keep ourselves and our peers safe from this horrible crime,” she said.
Young sponsored, and on April 4 the Legislature passed, a resolution in Albany asking Governor David A. Paterson to proclaim April 2008 as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month in the State of New York.
Victims of sexual assault are advised to call the police at 9-1-1, and can call any of the following numbers for assistance: the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) Hotline at 800-656-4673; the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or Assemblymember Ellen Young’s office at 718-939-0195.