BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Verizon Wireless has teamed up with five universities to bring the Red Flag Campaign to the state of Alabama during the month of April.

The Red Flag Campaign is a program created by students for students and funded by the Verizon Foundation, Verizon Wireless and other community partners. It aims to raise awareness about sexual assault using a "bystander intervention" strategy, encouraging friends and other campus community members to "say something" when they see warning signs ("red flags") for dating violence in a friend's relationship.

According to studies from the U.S. Department of Justice, college-age women are four times more likely to be sexually assaulted than the general public, with an estimated one in four female college students becoming victims of sexual assault during their college career.

During the month of April, five Alabama universities will display Red Flags on their campuses as part of their Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities. The following schools are taking part in the campaign:

Auburn University (April 4-5)
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (April 9-13)
Auburn University Montgomery (April 23-27)
The University of Alabama (April 24-30)
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (TBD).

The Red Flag Campaign is a project of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance and was created thanks to generous support from the Verizon Foundation. The Action Alliance makes the campaign available nationwide via its website, [ www.theredflagcampaign.org ]. The implementation of the campaign on Alabama campuses this April is supported by Verizon Wireless's HopeLine Program.

HopeLine puts Verizon Wireless' technology and the nation's most reliable and largest network to work in communities by turning no-longer-used wireless phones into support for victims of domestic violence. Wireless phones given to HopeLine are refurbished and sold for reuse, generating proceeds for the grant program. Refurbished phones – complete with 3,000 minutes of wireless service – are provided to local domestic violence organizations or local government and law enforcement agencies for use with their domestic violence clients.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves nearly 108 million total wireless connections, including 92.2 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 82,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: [ VZ ]) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit [ www.verizonwireless.com ]. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at [ www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia ].

SOURCE Verizon Wireless

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Alabama Universities Team With Verizon Wireless to Increase Awareness of Sexual Assault With the Red Flag Campaign

Alabama Universities Team With Verizon Wireless to Increase Awareness of Sexual Assault With the Red Flag Campaign

Five universities will initiate the Red Flag Campaign during April to mark Sexual Assault Awareness Month