In recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the community is invited to take part in the 4th annual "Speak Out Superior" on Thursday, April 25th,  featuring a march from UWS to the Douglas County Courthouse, followed by music, food and speakers. 

Speak Out Superior participants will gather at 4:30 p.m. in UWS parking lot #2, (parking is free) between Burger King and Pilgrim Lutheran Church. The group will then march down Belknap Avenue to the Courthouse to rally and hear from speakers from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event is open to Superior residents and anyone who wants to take a stand against sexual violence.

New at the Courthouse this year is a separate, supervised room for children, where they can enjoy structured, age-appropriate activities that tie in with the Speak Out Superior message. The event is organized by the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse, Inc. (CASDA), and the UWS Gender Equity Resource Center.

Douglas County ranks 5th out of Wisconsin’s 72 counties in the number of reported sexual assaults per capita, according to 2010 data provided from the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance. More than 1200 of Wisconsin sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement eight or more days following the incident. Many sexual assaults are never reported, making the number of incidents very difficult to track. Nearly 90% of Wisconsin sexual assaults reported in 2010 were committed by someone known to the victim.

For more information about Speak Out Superior and other Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities, contact CASDA at (715) 392-3136, go to casda.org or visit their Facebook page.

More From MIX 108