The UH chapter of She’s the First, a nonprofit organization founded to raise funds for female youth education in 10 developing countries, hosted a free screening of “Miss Representation,” one of several events in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness month, on Tuesday in the University Center Theater.

A film written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, “Miss Representation” includes stories from teenage girls and influential women such as Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric and Rachel Maddow. It raises awareness of the underrepresentation of women in the government and powerful positions, as well as the serious misrepresentation of women in the media as being useful only for their beauty and sexuality and not for their intelligence or creativity.

In a world where teens consume an average of 10 hours and 45 minutes of media per day, awareness needs to be made to balance out the skewed representation that they are receiving.

Fort Bend County Women’s Center provided informational pamphlets and handouts about how to get involved and how to receive assistance after falling victim to abuse.

Fort Bend County Women’s Center is promoting recognition of Denim Day on April 23. It began after an Italian court allowed a man guilty of raping a teenage girl to walk free after determining that “the victim wore very, very tight jeans; she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans, it was no longer rape but consensual sex.” Women in the Italian Parliament began wearing jeans to work to protest the court verdict. According to the Fort Bend County Women’s Center, since then, Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against the misinformed outlooks on sexual assault and has been celebrated in the U.S. since 1999.

In addition, She’s the First will also host a campaign called Run the World, which involves a 5K run and fundraiser from which all proceeds to help women in third world countries receive an education. The participation price is $30 per person or $15 per person in a group of three or more people to participate April 26.

To donate to Run the World, visit http://runtheworld.shesthefirst.org/stfuh.

To get more information or assistance from Fort Bend County Women’s Center Inc., visit www.fortbendwomenscenter.org or call (281) 342-4357.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Nonprofit fights for sexual assault awareness” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar