*Trigger Warning: This article includes discussion around topics such as sexual assault, harassment, and gender-based violence. This content may be emotionally difficult, so I encourage you to take whatever steps may be necessary for your safety and well-being.
To provide a bit of history, Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) was first nationally recognized and celebrated in April of 2001 by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). While the awareness month kicked off in 2001, activism and advocacy efforts calling for an end to sexual violence had been going on for decades. Many of these efforts were led by women of color, namely Black women, and were documented as early as the 1800s, weaved in with anti-slavery activism. These movements gained more traction in the 1940s with the civil rights era. In 1972, Title IX was passed, which protected against sex-based discrimination in educational settings. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was passed in 1994 and was the first official piece of legislation to provide women with protection against domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.
The goal of SAAM is twofold: awareness and prevention. Many of the SAAM awareness campaigns taking place this month spread statistics and data on sexual assault because there are still so many misconceptions about it. Educating others on how gender-based violence is a human rights violation and a genuine public health concern is a crucial part of this movement. But awareness must be paired with prevention to cause change. So, many prevention focused SAAM campaigns discuss ways in which individuals and communities can help stop sexual assault before it happens. The NSVRC has a fantastic list of resources for those interested in promoting sexual assault prevention in their local communities and workplaces.
Learning the history of this movement is important as it helps inform the work we have left to do. This month is to celebrate all the incredible work that has been done thus far and to acknowledge how far we have left to go. This SAAM, join me in this mission to intentionally build safe, inclusive spaces and bring an end to sexual violence.
This year’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month theme at the NSVRC is Drawing Connections: Prevention Demands Equity. NSVRC acknowledges that in order to make true progress with this movement, we must use an intersectional lens and work in conjunction with other anti-oppression movements. Truly calling for an end to sexual violence also requires us to call for an end to other social structures that perpetuate violence. From the NSVRC webpage:
“We can trace a line from sexual violence to systems of oppression, and we can’t end sexual violence without also ending racism. In addressing prevention, we must take steps to undo the systemic ways anti-Black racism shows up in our communities.”
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