For Immediate Release:           Contact: Pat McGann, 202-669-7417
April 2, 2009                                              

Department of Defense Partners with

Men Can Stop Rape on Sexual Assault Prevention Campaign

Washington, DC, April 2, 2009 – In support of Sexual Assault Awareness Month and as part of their recent efforts to create a “culture of prevention” to reduce sexual violence, this week the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) is launching a social marketing campaign it developed with internationally recognized expert, Men Can Stop Rape, Inc. (MCSR).  

The DoD SAPRO campaign will reach all branches of the military with the theme “Our Strength Is for Defending…Preventing Sexual Assault Is Part of Our Duty” and will include educational materials for all media, including print, television, radio, digital, and posters.  Emphasizing the importance of supporting survivors of sexual violence and defusing situations that might lead to sexual assault, the materials will be disseminated to every U.S. military installation throughout the world.

“Men Can Stop Rape is delighted to have this opportunity to assist the U.S. military with this critical issue,” says Stephen Glaude, Men Can Stop Rape, Inc.’s President and CEO. “Despite the discouraging pictures the media paints about sexual assault in the military, we were heartened to find an infrastructure of personnel in each of the branches and the Department of Defense that deeply cares about this issue. We are proud of this campaign and believe it will have a significant impact on preventing sexual assault.”

Patrick McGann, MCSR’s Project Director for the development of the DoD campaign adds, “While the realization of a culture of sexual assault prevention is still off in the distance for the military and for us all, we take hope in what the Department of Defense and all of us are doing starting in April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month and throughout the year to prevent sexual assault.”

As the leader in the primary violence prevention field, Men Can Stop Rape, Inc. provides public messaging, youth development, and professional training to agencies, schools, and organizations around the world.  The DoD campaign uses Strength Mediaworks, Men Can Stop Rape’s innovative public messaging campaign, as its’ model. From bus shelters in our nation’s capital to billboards and movie theaters across California to public health clinics in South Africa, Strength Mediaworks materials have reached thousands of men with their compelling visuals and positive messages.

For more information about Men Can Stop Rape, Inc, visit www.MenCanStopRape.org.

For more information about the Department of Defense’s campaign, visit www.MyDuty.mil

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