Abuse is a serious matter that everyone should be aware of, which is why the USM Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students (MAPS) and USM Sexual Assault Prevention Ambassadors (SAPA) recently collaborated with each other to host the Violence Prevention Panel on Southern Miss’ Hattiesburg campus to examine all aspects of abuse.
Topics of discussion amongst the panelists ranged from discussing what is abuse and the different types of abuse, to introducing themselves and being open for discussions and questions.
The experts agreed that abuse can be defined as treating someone badly or hurting them physically, emotionally, or mentally. It can happen in different forms, like hitting, yelling, or controlling someone in a harmful way.
The different types of abuse the panelists discussed were physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse.
Physical abuse is using physical force against you or causing harm. Forms of physical abuse are slapping, kicking, throwing objects, restraining you, denying food, etc.
Sexual abuse is forced sexual activity without given consent. This includes minors who cannot legally give consent. Signs of sexual abuse are behavioral, emotional, and physical. Behavioral abuse can be delinquency, substance abuse, and sudden fear of certain places.
Emotional abuse is when someone uses words, actions, or behaviors to control, manipulate, or harm another person’s feelings or mental well-being. It can include constant criticism, humiliation, threats, or isolating someone from their friends and family. And it can trigger depression, severe anxiety, and extreme anger.
And physical abuse can be bedwetting, physical pain, and more or less eating.
The Panelists and the audience introduced themselves and after that discussed different questions and certain responses about topics of abuse.
Gabby McCroskey, president of SAPA, spoke on how the event came to be.
“MAPS reached out to SAPA to do a Violence Prevention Panel to educate MAPS and the USM community about what violence, domestic violence, sexual violence, and stuff like that actually looks like and how we as a community can step in and help prevent it for not only ourselves but within our community and observation wise,” she explained.
SAPA helps educate the community about what sexual violence truly looks like and helps prevent people from being impacted by sexual violence by teaching what consent looks like and how people cannot give consent. SAPA collaborates Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network a national organization to help pass bills in Mississippi about protecting the community.
Kamiya Givan, MAPS outreach committee chair, spoke on why she joined the organization.
“I got into MAPS because I am a pre-health student,” she explained. “I want to be a physician assistant and they are a good resource for outreach opportunities like volunteer opportunities and also a good connection for pre-health students to see how to what track to go on or even have friends within the group, so I just contacted one of the MAPS members to say hey how can I join and they sent me a link.”
To look to be a part of MAPS and SAPA and to follow more events; follow their Instagram pages @usm.sapa and @usm_maps.