Sexual Assault Prevention, Support, and Healing

April marks Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Many of us know the anecdote of people in a river. Some offer support for the people to climb out while others go up river to find and prevent the root cause. It’s an important story about the necessity of both support and prevention. Today, we would like to add consideration for long-term support and promotion of healing in those who we can help climb from the river. The resources below focus on those key advocacy elements regarding sexual assault: Prevention, Support, and Healing.

 

This month, we created a complication of recent resources and trainings centered around these elements. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re looking for more!

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Take Action: Healthy Sexuality

Esperanza United

This informative and engaging web-based guide is a useful tool for parents and guardians about how to talk to their children about healthy sexuality, including healthy communication, expressions of sexuality, boundaries, respect, and more.

Access this guide in English

Access this guide in Spanish

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Housing for Prevention: Series Recap

December 2023

National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)

In this final episode of the Housing for Prevention series, Brittany Eltringham from NRCDV, Louie Marven from NSVRC, and Mo Lewis from NSVRC draw connections between the conversations in each of the three episodes and share their insights, highlighting the many ways prevention is linked to housing. This included how social determinants of health, housing, and community are interlinked and are tied into experiences of sexual violence.

Listen to the podcast here

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How to Support LGBTQ Victims and Survivors of Sexual Violence

September 2023

Trevor Project

This brief web-article talks about the importance of active listening, allyship, empowerment, and resilience. It offers LGBTQ-friendly survivor support resources.

Access this article here

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Michigan Community Sexual Violence Prevention Assessment: Findings

January 2023

Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI)

Because risk and protective factors impact Michigan communities in similar and unique ways depending on their diverse identities, histories, and contexts, the findings of this assessment are about the experiences of Black, Native, LGBTQ+, and Disability communities related to four key community and societal level protective factors determined and defined by collaborators: (1) Community connectedness, (2) Economic supports, (3) Community safety, and (4) Bodily Autonomy

Read the executive summary here

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Centering AANHPI Survivors: Recommendations for Campus and Title IX Administrators

August 2022

Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (APIGBV)

This report was informed by qualitative research with AANHPI current and former student survivors of GBV on campuses. It is clearly structured, detailing what researchers found through these interviews followed by recommendations to address those gaps or barriers. Topics included are: On-campus prevention, Cultural stigma, Limitations of resources and support, Culturally specific and safe resources, Barriers faced by international students, Barriers surrounding Title IX, and Community retaliation.

Read the report here

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Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

2023

Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect

This guide overviews child sexual abuse and grooming, discusses the lasting effects on adult survivors, explains how adult survivors can navigate healthy relationships after childhood sexual abuse, and talks about how to support adult survivors.

Access the guide here

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Preventing Sexual Assault Together: The Power of Community Engagement

September 2023

National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)

This podcast is a conversation with Kelly Mays and Sara McGirr about the process used and findings from an equity focused sexual assault community assessment process in Michigan. They discussed practical lessons and tools that can be used to increase community engagement, build authenticity, and strengthen trust and connections

Listen to the podcast here

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MenHealing Webinar Series Session 1: Men As Survivors

February 2024

National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)

This first session discussed sexual harm and how it affects everyone, how our biases create barriers for the male survivors we work with, how the societal definition of being a man doesn’t always fit with the societal definition of a “typical survivor”, and the importance of creating space to make men feel comfortable enough to share their experiences.

Watch the webinar here

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Supporting Men in Healing from Sexual Violence: Tip Sheets

January 2024

National Sexual Violence Resource Center

These tip sheets for advocates and providers discuss many of the intersections at play when working with male sexual violence survivors on their healing journey. Tip sheets cover: (1) How to reach men, (2) The intersection of addiction, mental health, and recover, (3) Transmasculine survivors, (4) Sexual assault forensic exams and accompaniment, (5) Supporting incarcerated men and sexual abuse in detention, (6) Additional resources for male survivors, (7) Additional resources for advocates.

Access these tip sheets here

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Promoting Sexual Assault Healing Services to Men

February 2024

National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)

This webinar from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) and Just Detention International (JDI) suggests how you can communicate about sexual violence as something that men experience, and about what services are available at your sexual program for men who are survivors.

Watch the webinar here

Looking for more resources for sexual assault awareness month?

Looking for more resources for sexual assault awareness month?

Check out last year’s compilation of resources: SAAM Resource Roundup