NEWS
News | April 3, 2018
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Sexual assault is a crime that has long been hidden in the shadows. But now, things are changing. There is not just one voice speaking up, not even hundreds of voices, but millions of voices across the world, speaking out together against sexual assault. This April, we all need to embrace our voices to end sexual assault.
Why is it important to have so many voices?
One of the things we say over and over again is that no sexual assault looks just like another. Every assault looks different because there are different people involved. It is also why we need lots of different voices speaking out against this crime. We need young people in middle and high school to speak so their peers will know that they have an ally. We need men to speak out to say this behavior is not okay and is not reflective of all men. We need leaders to raise their voices to set an example for their community. We need each and every voice raised against sexual assault because all these voices can go so much further than my one voice alone.
But I’m not an expert. How do I embrace my voice?
You don’t need to be an expert working in this field to make a difference. In fact, speaking as experts, I can’t possibly end sexual assault alone! We see examples of people embracing their voices in so many different ways. Here are just a few examples:
Attending your school’s Take Back the Night rally and sharing your own story of survival (or sharing with a friend or advocate).
Taking a complaint about sexual harassment from a co-worker seriously and helping them figure out what steps to take next.
Talking to the children and teens in your life about consent and making sure they know they can talk to you about sex — even when the conversation is uncomfortable.
Sharing an article or resource (or this blog!) on your own social media pages about the #MeToo movement or about a resource (like the WCA) in your community.
Embracing your voice this April doesn’t mean that you have to make a speech or write an article in the newspaper (although you could if you wanted), it just means looking for those small ways that we can each remind others that we believe survivors, we don’t think that sexual assault is OK and that we want to see a community free of violence. And if we can all do just one thing this month to make our voices a little louder, a little stronger, we will see change.
Here are some great resources for you:
https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/2018-01/embraceyourvoice_onepager_508.pdf
https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/2018-01/understandingsexualviolence_onepager_508.pdf
https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/2018-01/healthycommunicationwkids_508.pdf
https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/2018-01/everydayconsent_onepager_508.pdf
