"Walk A Mile In Her Shoes" will be held March 27 as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. (WKU photo by Clinton Lewis)

Events begin with a proclamation signing on March 1, “Walk A Mile In Her Shoes” on March 27 and the “Take Back the Night” march and rally on March 28.

“We are so excited to be able to share these list of events in raising awareness of sexual violence,” said Elizabeth Madariaga, sexual assault services coordinator with WKU’s Counseling and Testing Center. “As a society, we often blame the victim with questions such as why did they go there? What were they wearing? How much had they been drinking? We really need to put the focus on the perpetrator and why THEY did what they did. The statistics are there showing how prevalent sexual violence is in our society as a whole, but events like these help to raise awareness as to what is sexual violence, how it can affect the entire community as well as let perpetrators know we won’t tolerate it in our community. Most importantly, it lets victim survivors know they aren’t alone and are going to speak up about this and we are on their side.”

Here is a list of 2013 Sexual Assault Awareness Month events/projects:

March 1: Proclamation signing, 11 a.m. at Kentucky Building.

March 4: Stun and Run with Tom Pardue, a fun way of learning how to protect yourself within your 3-foot circle. 6 p.m. at WKU’s Faculty House.

March 5: Tunes at the Library. Noon-1 p.m. at Java City in Helm Library.

March 7: The Clothesline Project, a healing process for those who have experienced violence or know someone who has. 10 a.m.-noon at WKU-Glasgow Campus.

March 19: The Clothesline Project, a healing process for those who have experienced violence or know someone who has. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Centennial Mall.

March 19: Noon Tunes. Noon-1 p.m. at Java City in Helm Library.

March 19: Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, sponsored Gender and Women’s Studies. 7:30 p.m. at Downing University Center Auditorium. Tickets are $7 at the door.

March 27: “Walk A Mile In Her Shoes,” a way for men to increase awareness against sexual violence and puts a different spin on speaking out against rape, sexual violence and gender violence by “walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.” Begins at 10:30 a.m. at Chi Omega house and ends at Centennial Mall. Pre-registration is required to participate in this event. Supporters are welcome to come cheer the walkers on.

March 28: “Take Back the Night,” annual event to march, rally and take action to prevent sexual violence. 6 p.m. at the Warren County Justice Center; followed by a march around downtown and a candlelight vigil. To guarantee a T-shirt in your size, fill out a pledge form by midnight March 17. Pledge packets can be downloaded at www.wku.edu/heretohelp.

March 30: Stun and Run with Tom Pardue, a fun way of learning how to protect yourself within your 3-foot circle. 1 p.m. at East/West Kung Fu Academy, 6045 Scottsville Road.