Supporting Survivors During Sexual Assault Awareness Month
National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, or SAAM, is an annual observance on behalf of sexual assault victims, survivors, and their families. It’s a time to raise awareness in the fight to prevent and stop sexual assault. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the SAAM movement, but efforts to end sexual violence were initiated long before, back during the civil rights movement in the 1950s. Today, we are still battling against abusers and the systems that protect them. As a community of advocates and supporters, let’s raise our voices and show our support for sexual assault survivors, and address the entrenched systemic issues surrounding sexual violence.
Sexual violence encompasses all forms of sexual activity where consent is not given. Assaults can affect all gender identities and communities, regardless of sexual orientation or age. In short, anyone can be at risk of experiencing sexual violence at some point in their lives. According to the CDC, approximately 1 in 5 women and 1 in 38 men have endured attempted or completed rape during their lifetime. The statistics are higher for individuals between the ages of 11 and 17, where 1 in 3 females and 1 in 4 males experienced rape. Domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sex trafficking, and childhood sexual abuse are just a few examples of sexual violence.
It can be extremely difficult for victims to disclose their experiences with sexual violence. Victims may feel ashamed and embarrassed, or that they won’t be taken seriously by friends and family. Survivors of sexual violence may also feel afraid to come forward and tell the police, for fear of any repercussions from their abuser, of reliving their trauma, or of their story getting out to their community.
Female victims have historically been blamed for sexual assaults, being told they could have avoided these situations or that they “asked for it” to happen to them in the first place. These excuses for victimization are often explained by women dressing too provocatively, or by women flirting with those who ultimately assaulted them. Victim blaming is just one of the many reasons that thousands of survivors do not end up stepping forward to disclose sexual assaults. This dynamic not only keeps the victim from achieving justice, but it puts other individuals at risk of being assaulted by the perpetrator, and enables a culture of sexual assault acceptance.
In cases of institutional sexual abuse, a troubling dynamic also exists that prevents survivors from getting the help and support they need, and holding abusers accountable for their crimes. Institutional abuse takes place when the victim is sexually abused by an adult in a position of power, like a coach on a sports team, a teacher at a child’s school, or the pastor at a community church. According to recent reports, the average age a survivor reveals they were abused in an institution is 52 years old. Similar to other forms of sexual violence, victims may be afraid to come forward and discuss their traumas for fear of battling both their abuser and the institution where the abuse occurred.
Victims who do disclose their abuse and seek legal justice against an abuser, or the institution, are fighting an uphill battle. It can be extremely traumatizing for survivors to endure a case against their abuser, and are ultimately forced to relive their trauma over and over again. Fortunately, in cases against perpetrators like Larry Nassar, former professor at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and USA Gymnastics national team doctor, and Brock Turner, former Stanford University student and collegiate swimmer, justice was served for survivors and their families. However, there’s still a lot of work to be done in order to break the stigma surrounding sexual violence.
Victims of sexual violence need our support. Believing survivors and validating their experiences is the only way we can get them the help they need, and encourage others to step forward and share their stories. As a culture, victim blaming still exists at the core of many sexual assaults that take place. We need to break down the stereotype that gray areas exist when it comes to sexual violence. If boundaries are not respected and consent is not given, the act is considered sexually violent in nature, and perpetrators need to be held accountable for it.
This SAAM, make an effort to educate yourself and your communities about sexual assault awareness. Listen to survivors, and share initiatives that support everyone who is affected by sexual violence.
-Anonymous