Amy Jo Jenkins, NAS Sigonella Civilian Victim Advocate

Saluti Sigonella,

On April 1st, NASSIG leadership proclaimed April as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM) and called upon all Navy, Marine, Air Force, Army and NATO personnel and their families to step up in the joint effort to prevent all forms of sexual violence. For the 16th annual SAAPM, the Department of Defense theme is: “Protecting Our People Protects Our Mission,” and the Navy call to action is: “Respect. Protect. Empower.”

We had a fantastic turnout of leadership, SAPR victim advocates, service members, civilians and even Juliet Beyler, Executive Director for U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa at the proclamation signing. Although the inperson ceremony was limited due to COVID-19 mitigation measures, the signing was also livestreamed on Facebook.

In the past five years, the Sigonella Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) program has grown dramatically, allowing us to increase our efforts to protect our community and prevent sexual violence. “We truly love our Sigonella community and thoroughly enjoy getting out there, partnering with sister agencies, and interacting with everyone,” said Shannon Harden, Sigonella’s Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC). “We focus on prevention and spreading our message of taking care of yourselves and each other.”

When Shannon arrived in 2016, Sigonella only had one SARC and eight unit victim advocates (UVAs). Today, there are 80-90 UVAs, one full-time Civilian Victim Advocate (CVA), and our new Victims’ Legal Counsel (VLC) who will arrive this summer. Our SAPR Team, with the SARC as the hub, has worked extremely hard over the past five years to build relationships in our community. Our UVAs are the heart and soul of this program, and we truly appreciate all they do.

Many of you may be wondering who this Amy Jo lady is ,bopping around base leading SAPR trainings and teaming up with different commands and agencies for prevention and awareness events. I’m your CVA, and although it’s understandable to think that means I help civilian victims of sexual assault, I’m actually available for all victims of sexual assault in the SAPR program. Just like our Unit Victim Advocates (UVAs), I’m available 24/7, 365 days a year.

I traversed a windy path leading me to the Navy SAPR world. I started out with Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) Aquatics in Yokosuka in 2009, and then spent a couple of years in Sasebo on an amphibious assault ship as their Fun Boss (I’m a Shellback, not a slimy pollywog!). My next stop was the desert at Isa Air Base in Bahrain, but apparently it wasn’t hot enough there, so I spent the next 15 months at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti as the MWR Site Director and six months as the Acting SARC. If you’ve spent time in Djibouti, you know 15 months is a long time, so I was ecstatic to accept a MWR position here in Sigonella in 2015.

A theme in the past 12 years of my life was that people kept coming to me in confidence about issues they were facing, many of which involved sexual assaults. Fortunately while in Bahrain, I became a credentialed SAPR victim advocate and was able to use those skills both in Djibouti and while here in Sigonella. When the first-ever CVA position opened in Sigonella in 2017, I knew I had to apply…and the rest is history! I absolutely love my job, our amazing SAPR team, and community partners.

Everyone plays a critical role in preventing sexual assault… not just during SAAPM, but year-round. We would love to see you participate in a variety of in-person and virtual events scheduled throughout the month to help prevent sexual violence. If we all can agree to follow the Navy’s ten Signature Behaviors of the 21st Century Sailor, including “Treat every person with respect” and “Intervene when necessary,” we can greatly reduce sexual violence.

If you have ever been sexually assaulted or ever are, know that it was not your fault (no matter what) and our SAPR Team is here for you. SAPR Victim Advocates are available 24/7, 365. Also, Fleet and Family Support Center offers counseling to address stressful situations and help develop healthy relationship skills.

We encourage all individuals and organizations to play a role in making our community a better place for service members and families. SAPR Victim Advocate Hotlines: 335-642-8312 / 335-606-6146 SAPR Civilian Victim Advocate: 335-773-3553 Sexual Assault Response Coordinator: 338-670-0195 DoD Safe Helpline: 1-877-995-5247 or www.SafeHelpline.org Fleet and Family Support Center: DSN 624-4291