NORWICH – More than 150 people came out in support of Catholic Charities sixth annual Celebration of Women, held at the Howard Johnson’s ballroom Thursday night.

The evening, which included live music, dancing, free massages, manicures and hair styling, informational booths on health, beauty, nutrition and representatives from local businesses, was held to celebrate the accomplishments of women and to raise awareness about sexual assault and violence.

New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault Executive Director Jane McEwen addressed the crowd, calling crimes against women an “atrocious human rights violation that must be stopped.” In addition to the direct impact of sexual violence, McEwen said it is also a major cause of poverty.

“Women in America represent more than one half of the 37 million people living in poverty, and the gap in poverty rates is wider in America than anywhere else in the western world. We need to work together to stop this,” McEwen said.

She explained that one in six women and one in 33 men will be the victim of attempted or completed rape, and that crimes against children under the age of six make up 14 percent of all rapes or sexual assaults. McEwen called on the community and all those in attendance to help bring an end to the problem of sexual assault. “We need to speak up and make sexual assault able to be talked about. We need to scream that this is not acceptable in Chenango County. It’s not a women’s problem. It’s the community’s problem,” she said.