When has ‘NO!’ ever meant ‘yes?’ Published March 27, 2012 By Senior Airman Ethan Morgan 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs RAF MILDENHALL, England -- With Sexual Assault Awareness Month starting in April, everyone should strive to educate themselves on the harmful impacts of sexual assault and how to prevent it. This year, the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator's office is pushing for bystander intervention and stopping sexual assault before it can occur. "We know that most people are not offenders and most will not be victims," said Kimberly Dickman, 100th Air Refueling Wing SARC. "It's good that we're not harming, but that's not enough when it comes to stopping sexual assault." The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office here strives to not only educate victims on their options, but to also educate everyone else on ways to decrease the risk of becoming a victim. Knowing how to spot a situation that could possibly lead to a sexual assault is key, said Dickman. Along with educating, the SAPR program encourages people to not only learn how to identify the signs of a potential sexual assault, but to have the willingness to stop it before it can happen. "I train, teach and lecture, but none of that will stop offenders on its own," said Dickman. "But, having others who are knowledgeable and willing to step in when someone is too drunk, too fast or someone seems to just need help, that's how we prevent sexual assault." The SARC is available to anyone older than 18. Along with working with victims, they also work with loved ones of the victim, friends and commanders, and are willing to meet with people at the customer's convenience. If a victim tells a friend that they were sexually assaulted, that friend is encouraged to keep their privacy and confidentiality. However, if a victim tells any person who is either a first responder or in the victim's chain of command, then that individual is required to report the assault by law. The SARC offers victims two types of reporting processes: restricted and unrestricted. A restricted process entails the victim giving an official report and getting the help that they need, while keeping everything confidential; however restricted reporting is limited only to military members and adult military dependents. Unrestricted reporting allows the victim to get the help that they need, and also opens an investigation that can cause legal ramification for the assailant, though the process isn't confidential for the victim. The SARC also offers sexual assault awareness education and prevention training to squadrons and groups. The SARC is located in Building 670 and is available from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for normal duty hours. Emergency access is also available. To contact the SARC for more information, or to seek help with a matter, call the 24-hour number at DSN 238-SARC/7272 or commercial 07876-148603.