Twenty Years of Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Though SAAM wasn’t officially declared until 2001, the movement to prevent sexual violence extends much farther back in history. Fights for gender equality gained prominence during the civil rights era, with Black women such as Rosa Parks raising issues regarding both race and gender.
The first rape crisis center opened in San Francisco in 1971 when finally,domestic and sexual violencewere slowly starting to come out of the shadows. The following decades saw calls for legislation and mobilization, culminating in the passage of the landmarkViolence Against Women Actin 1994. The law was a milestone — it was the first comprehensive legislation in the U.S. built to prevent violence against women.
Every year, the NSVRC gathers feedback before they decide on a theme. Past themes include “Embrace Your Voice,” “I Ask,” “Engaging Bystanders,” “Prevention is Possible,” and “College Campuses.”
Sexual Assault Statistics
As Talkspace therapist Rachel O’Neill articulates, “I think one of the biggest misconceptions aroundsexual assaultis the stereotypical image of it being something that happens in a dark alley between strangers or something that always involves force. The reality is,sexual assaulthappens regularly; every 73 seconds someone is sexually assaulted, 1 in 6 women have survived an attempted or completed rape, and 55% of sexual assaults occur in or near the victim’s home. These statistics underscore the prevalence of sexual assault and, quite literally, how close this epidemic hits to home.”
In addition to the 1 in 6 women who have survived an attempted or completed rape,1 in 10 men have been victims of sexual coercion. According to a2018 NCVS survey, 734,630 people were raped (threatened, attempted, or completed) in the United States in 2018. In short, sexual assault affects all of us.
We Can Build Safe Online Spaces
The internet has changed the world completely: it is a place where we conduct business, financial transactions, consume culture, and find significant others. Our dependence on the internet became even more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which the internet became essential to our daily social, professional, and romantic lives.
For all the good that the internet can bring, however, it also comes with negatives. The communities we build online are especially susceptible to bullying, abuse, and other kinds of victimization. Common forms of online abuse include child pornography, cyber stalking, revenge porn, doxxing, unsolicited explicit images, and online harassment. Some of these acts of violence remain confined to screens, while others progress to in-person violence. However, the trauma these acts engender is real in every case.
NSVRC’s 2021 SAAM campaign seeks to build awareness of the particular dangers facing our online spaces, from social media to dating apps.
Get Involved
There are many ways to participate in SAAM. NSVRC is holding an Instagram contest,#30DaysofSAAM Challenge, in which there are daily prompts to encourage people to voice their support of sexual assault awareness. Participants are eligible to receive daily prizes and will be entered to win a grand prize at the end of the month.
Additionally, you candownload graphics, such as Zoom backgrounds and Instagram Story templates, andfind online events, such as virtual 5ks and self-care sessions. You can also access digital resources on how tokeep kids safe onlineand learn how to navigate the tricky issue ofdigital consent boundaries.
Denim Day
Besides for the month of April, there are other year-round opportunities that exist for you to get involved in the movement to prevent sexual assault. Opportunities include volunteering at your local rape crisis center anddonatingto community efforts.
Get Help
If you’ve experienced sexual violence, it’s important to know you can speak out and seek help. Rachel O’Neill says, “It’s okay to ask for help. Often, the first step in reaching out to seek support is the most difficult; however, taking this step can be an important step in the process of recovery. While therapy can be helpful for many who are coping with trauma related to sexual assault, others may find help in other places, such as a support group.”
The Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN), organizes theNational Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline, which is a referral service that can put you in contact with your local rape crisis center. You can call the Hotline at 1-800-656-4673, or access RAINN’sonline chat service.
Therapy is another vital resource that will hep you to process sexual assault. Consider speaking with a licensed Talkspace therapist regularly.Online therapyis a convenient and affordable way to begin to get help. Know that you are not alone in this; we are here to support you.
Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.
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