ST. GEORGE — Men and women walked a mile in high heels Saturday morning to show support for survivors of sexual assault. The third annual Heels 2 Heal walk, held in St. George, also strives to increase awareness and promote resources for those in need of advocacy and support.

The event was hosted by K.A.V.A. Talks which stands for Knowledge Above Violence Always, a Pacific Island men’s advocacy group. They are under the guidance of the nonprofit Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources.  They focus on events and training for men to show support for victims and survivors of sexual assault. 

“Pacific Island Knowledge to Action resources is a six-year-old ethnic community-based nonprofit based in Salt Lake City,” Susi Feltch-Malohifo’oum, their chief executive officer, said. “We’re here in St. George for our third annual Heels to Heal one-mile walk in high heels to celebrate April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month.”

She said it is vital for men to be a part of the solution concerning sexual assault. One way to learn how to do that is to attend online meetings. K.A.V.A. Talks meets every Thursday (barring major holidays) online at 6 p.m. on Zoom and is open to everyone.

Men and women of all backgrounds remembered those lost and affected by sexual assault at the annual event.

“A lot of hard work has gone into this event and we are excited to bring awareness in (to) an event on an important issue that has, unfortunately,  affected many of our lives and the lives of our loved ones,” Dominque Askew, co-chair of Heels 2 Heal St. George, said. 

Dominique is also a drag performer named Toyah Diamond and demonstrated to the men attending the walk how to properly walk in high heels. He reminded the crowd to walk heel to toe.

Many community organizations provided booths and give-aways, including The Dove Center, Dixie College, Utah Pride Center, Youth Futures, Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources, Encircle, and Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

The Dove Center Sexual Assault Program Coordinator, Torrey Sullivan, spoke to attendees. The Dove Center’s services are free for individuals who have been experiencing domestic violence and sexual assault. Sullivan said all services are free to use, such as the 24-hour helpline and providing a safe shelter with case management that helps people become more self-sufficient. 

“The Dove Center helps people to achieve their goals. Whatever their goals are, whether it’s to find housing, find employment, or even potentially go back to school. We also have counseling services and support groups,” Sullivan said. 

The organization has continuously grown and expanded within the last couple of years. The Dove Center also has a prevention and education team that has teamed up with their youth program. 

“We go to intermediate, middle, and high schools where we have support groups. And in the support groups, we are teaching the youth healthy and nonhealthy (unhealthy) relationships, boundaries and consent,” Sullivan said. “I think this is an amazing work that we’re doing to educate our youth.”

Another aspect of the work The Dove Center does is hospital advocacy. Whenever there are sexual assault cases or domestic violence cases, the staff goes into an emergency department to be an advocate for a victim, she said. 

“We are there to be emotional support and to provide resources. We teamed up with Southwest Forensic Healthcare, where nurses respond to sexual assault cases,” Sullivan said. “This is the most vulnerable space that I am allowed in. During these sexual assault kit exams, they have to tell us what has happened to them in great detail. And the reason for that is so the forensic nurse can collect D.N.A.” 

She said that the survivor has often cried while explaining the horrible details of what had happened to them. There have been moments when she and the nurses cried with the victims listening to their stories. Sullivan said she likes being there for someone in their time of need. 

“It’s important to note that it’s completely optional for the survivors to have us there. They have a voice when they’re there. They can choose to have any portion of the exam, you know, to not do a part of the exam; we want to make them feel as comfortable as possible,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said this event helps make the community aware that these problems happen in southern Utah. She noted that in 2021, there were 162 sexual assault cases the Dove Center assisted with, and the organization also helped with 61 cases for hospital advocacy. 

“So it is very prevalent here in our community,” Sullivan said.

Before the walk, a sexual assault victim shared her experience. After the walk, there were cultural performances, live music, and a medal presentation with prizes for participants. The local group of drummers and dancers Te Fano O Ter, The Voyage of the Sun also performed.

Another resource in the community represented at the event was the Dixie State University Women’s Resource Center. Drew Bottoms explained that the program is open to all students, whether male or female. 

“We facilitate access to resources for students, regardless of gender. So it’s not just Women’s Resources, it’s resources for all students,” Bottoms said. “We provide students support services. We are the bridge for them to get the help they need for sexual assault and domestic violence. We can direct them to community resources, our group Wellness Center, our police department, and our Title IX coordinators. We can get them where they need to go to get them the help they need.” 

According to the K.A.V.A. Talks website, sexual assault is a form of violence that permeates all communities. K.A.V.A. Talks hosts this annual event to give victims, survivors, and those whose loved ones have been affected by this issue space to receive public support.

The organization continues the work to educate and eradicate violence.

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