COD Hosts 12th Annual Child Abuse/Sexual Assault Awareness Symposium April 20

In recognition of April as Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the Human Services program at College of DuPage will sponsor the 12th annual Child Abuse/Sexual Assault Awareness Symposium from 2 to 9 p.m. on Monday, April 20, in the Student Resource Center, Room 2000, on the College’s main campus, 425 Fawell Blvd. in Glen Ellyn.

This event is free and open to the public.

“The purposes of this symposium is to educate the larger COD community about the crimes of child abuse and sexual assault, to give students the opportunity to help plan and put on a community awareness event, and to raise funds for a local agency providing services for victims of child abuse and sexual assault,” said Human Services instructor Andrea Polites. “It is also an opportunity for networking and continuing education for mental health and caregiving professionals.”

Organized by the Human Services 1180 Domestic/Family Violence class, the symposium is designed to educate and raise awareness in District 502 and beyond of the crimes of child abuse and sexual abuse.

A number of local and regional organizations, including the DuPage County Mental Health Department, Elmhurst Hospital SANE program, Family Shelter Service, Lutherbrook Child and Family Services, Mutual Ground and the YWCA, will have information booths and representatives at the symposium. Representatives also will be available from the College of DuPage Counseling and Advising office and the Human Services Network Club, as well as students from various classes, including child abuse, crisis intervention, nursing and sociology. In addition, various fundraisers will take place, including a student-run bake sale with the proceeds going to the YWCA Rape Crisis Center.

At 6 p.m., the College will host a special screening of the film “The Hunting Ground,” an exposé of sexual assault on college campuses by two-time Emmy award-winning director Kirby Dick.

Featuring documentary footage, expert insights and first-person testimonies, the film follows undergraduate rape survivors pursuing both their education and justice, despite ongoing harassment. Filmmakers Dick and producer Amy Ziering reveal a campus culture of institutional cover-ups, rationalizations, victim blaming and denial.

A question and answer session with the director will be held after the screening.

For more information on this event, call (630) 942-2103 or email politesa@cod.edu. To RSVP, please contact Patrick Nakamura at nakamurap@dupage.edu.