April is a big month for Live Violence Free. It is national Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department annual report shows that the number of reported sexual assaults in the county increased by 86 percent from 2012 to 2013 and 80 percent of these reported sexual assaults were perpetrated on children younger than the age of 18. Child and youth sexual abuse prevention must be a priority to confront the reality that 1-in-6 boys and 1-in-4 girls will experience a sexual assault before the age of 18. The entire month of April is dedicated to honoring victims and survivors of child abuse and sexual assault in our community.

Live Violence Free has four events planned for the month of April. On April 16, the annual trading places lunch at Freshies Restaurant will take place from noon-3 p.m. Come enjoy lunch as the servers and cooks switch position to raise funds for our programs and services.

Next on April 18, there will be a free public screening of the documentary “Girl Rising”. This is a powerful movie that examines the lives of nine girls from around the world and their fight to receive an education amidst immense challenges. The viewing will be held in the Duke Theater at Lake Tahoe Community College, starting at 7 p.m.

In an effort to fight off future sexual assault incidents, Escobar Training Grounds is holding free self-defense classes for women and children on from 6-8 p.m. April 25 and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. April 26. These classes will be taught in both English and Spanish.

Lastly, to close out the month, our sixth annual Bowl-A-Thon will be from 6-8 p.m. April 30. Gather a team of four-six friends, family, or coworkers and bowl to support Live Violence Free’s child abuse prevention programs and services for sexual assault survivors.

In addition to our scheduled events, Live Violence Free will have small blue flags displayed throughout the community dedicated to victims and survivors of child abuse. Our Clothesline Project will be traveling to different locations to pay respect to victims and survivors of sexual assault. This visual display features T-shirts with messages or illustrations designed by people who have been impacted by violence. Please join us in bringing awareness and playing an active role in preventing child abuse and sexual assault in our community.

For further information on any or all of the events above, call 530-544-2118, go to our website at http://www.liveviolencefree.org or stop by the office at 2941 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

Hannah Greenstreet is the prevention educator for Live Violence Free.