Mail Tribune News - Sexual assault forum seeks empowerment

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Sexual assault forum seeks empowerment ASHLAND -- Peace House and the Southern Oregon University Women's Resource Center will jointly sponsor a community forum on sexual assault at 7 p.m. today in the Rogue River Room of the Stevenson Union. The two groups hope to spark a wide-ranging discussion on the subject, from personal safety techniques to how community resource groups can better work together in the future. Participants will learn about the resources that are available in Jackson County and skills women can use to help protect against sexual assault. "No one method can protect women," said Peace House director Ruth Coulthard. "(But) some methods are better than others." Coulthard said the discussion is important despite the arrest Sunday of a suspect in the Nov. 3 rape of a 22-year-old woman in Ashland. "Originally the impetus came out of a feeling of crisis that there was someone out there," said Coulthard. "(Today) the problem is still there. We still need to work as individuals on strategies for personal safety and strategies as a community about keeping our community safe." Because we live in a relatively safe community, Coulthard says, it's easy to avoid talking about violence against women. "I don't want to provoke sense of paranoia and fear among women," she said. "(But) it's important that women can feel they can walk the streets in safety." She hopes today's discussion and the networking among groups will help participants feel empowered. "We need to recognize the power of ourselves as individuals and as institutions in finding resolutions to violence." Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA