Belmont County proclaims April Sexual Assault Awareness Month; advocates outline events and survivor resources

The Belmont County Board of Commissioners adopted a proclamation March 18 declaring April 2026 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Belmont County.

Representatives from Tri-County Help Center — JaQue Galloway (program facilitator), Misty Klug (community education advocate) and Emilee Fields (survivor navigator) — described planned events and resources, including library displays of survivor-recommended books and outreach activities. Ms. Klug said the organization has book recommendations from survivors that will be displayed at local libraries. Ms. Fields, a survivor and survivor navigator, said her role involves advising other survivors from lived experience and emphasized educating parents and friends to better support victims: "A big part of what I do is, as a domestic violence victim myself, I can advise on what to do, what not to do, things that have helped me, things that could help other victims," she said. She added, "It is crucial to educate parents, friends, anyone at all, who is in a circle of someone who’s been physically sexually abused, so that they are able to just be more helpful."

The proclamation notes Tri-County Help Center provided 2,116 instances of advocacy to 103 survivors in 2025, including 22 hospital accompaniments and counseling for 229 survivors; commissioners voted to adopt the proclamation unanimously. The document encourages residents to stand with survivors and participate in awareness and prevention activities.