Nonprofit Seeks to Prevent Teenage Sexual Assaults

Tanya Vasquez recalls the school assembly four years ago that helped define her high school years.

She remembers how the auditorium full of freshmen fell silent listening to speakers address sensitive, serious topics: physical abuse, date rape, sexual assault.

And she hasn’t forgotten the message.

“They really touched me with their presentation,” said Vasquez, 17, now a senior. “They made sure you knew that if something ever goes wrong, you will be able to get help.”

Vasquez was so moved by the seminar that she became a leader in her school’s peer counseling program.

She is among the thousands of students annually who have attended teenage sexual assault prevention seminars offered by a Claremont-based rape prevention group.

The organization, Project SISTER Sexual Assault Crisis and Prevention Services, provides a range of services, including counseling, staffing of a 24-hour rape hotline and accompanying sexual assault victims to police stations, hospitals and courts. Their service area includes 29 cities in the east San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire.

The nonprofit group received a $15,000 grant from the Los Angeles Times to fund the staff counselors for its rape prevention seminars, which are in high demand at high schools, youth clubs, churches and colleges.

Last year, the counselors provided more than 360 teenage rape prevention presentations to nearly 13,000 youths.

Linda Shestock, executive director of Project SISTER, said national and state studies show that young women ages 15 to 24 are at the highest risk for sexual assault, and that those 16 to 19 are 3 1/2 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.

“These are very sensitive topics, but they need to be discussed,” said Darla McKee, a psychology teacher at Rancho Cucamonga High School who has requested seminars from the group. “The presentation is very forthright and upfront and gives students a foundation for being aware, especially for females.”

Francine DeMarco, one of the counselors, said she tries to dispel myths about sexual assault and rape.

She said many people subscribe to the false belief that a rapist “is always going to be a man, usually a stranger. It’s usually someone you know ... and it can be a female.”

DeMarco also explains “risk- reduction strategies.” She tells young women to “think about how far they are willing to go sexually before the date” to avoid sending mixed signals.

She advises young males to listen and communicate, even if it feels awkward.

Vasquez, the peer counselor, said the presentations have helped many young people decide the “right thing to do.”

When students seek her advice on sensitive issues, she said, “I always tell them there is someone who is there to help, like Project SISTER.”

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