No More campaign promotes dialogues

The goal of the No More campaign is to promote an open dialogue about the traditionally taboo topics of domestic violence and sexual assault.

"A lot of people don't always know what to do," Annika Vik, prevention advocate for St. James Family Center said, "because we don't talk about it. It makes it harder for people to come forward. We talk to remove the stigma and if people are not held accountable it's not going to stop."

Last year, Vik asked several community members to create signs that asked what they wanted to see No More.

Some said no more harm, or no more fear. No more apathy, wrote another. No more treating girls as if they are inferior. No more teasing. No more bullying. No more she was asking for it.

"This is great," Vik said, "because these are the words of local people."

This year for the No More Week of Action, March 6-12, she took all the signs and pictures from last year and filled the windows of a storefront in downtown Cathlamet. It's already created a stir as people pause to read the signs and look at the pictures.

Vik hopes that people who are suffering in silence will see that there are people in this community who recognize the problem and care.

"This is to show solidarity with victims," Vik said. "To let them know they are not alone and that there are people who believe your stories."

"We've come so far," she added. "Now we are at a point where there is education and people are getting help. There are programs that exist that didn't used to."

To learn more about the No More campaign, check out their website at http://www.nomore.org.