The History Behind Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This is an incredibly important topic, so here is a look into the history of this month.

The term “sexual assault” refers to sexual conduct or any kind of behavior that happens to occur without any explicit consent from the victim. Some of the main forms of sexual assault include:

1. Attempted rape.
2. Forcing a victim to do something that they don’t want to do.
3. Unwanted acts of violence towards the other.

In the early 1980s, several women activists used different months throughout the year to raise awareness of violence against women. These sexual assault advocates began looking for a specific month to generally focus the attention on all sexual assault issues. Later that decade, people had wanted simply a full week for this awareness. A week in April had been selected and some advocates began holding awareness events. After some time, interest was expressed from a wide enough range of individuals that they expanded a week to a month, and April came to be known as Sexual Assault Awareness Month!

Each year, several campaigns have began, hoping to help those who are survivors, those currently experiencing sexual assault, and those who know someone going through a hard time. Here are some examples of campaign themes throughout the years:

• 2003: The campaign was titled, “Shout Out,” and was created to speak to those who were going through sexual assault. People need to stand up and speak out about their problems and take action in order to enact change. 

• 2008: “Prevent Sexual Violence in Our Workplaces” was created in order to help employers see the different cultures and roles that would help in preventing sexual violence in our everyday work spaces.

• 2012: “It’s Time to Talk About It” was created and encouraged communities and individuals to join the conversation on healthy sexuality.

• 2017: “Engaging New Voices” focused on involving coaches, parents, bystanders, faith leaders, etc. in the issue of sexual assault. These important individuals need to realize when there is a problem and how they can go about solving it or talking through problems with their loved ones and members of their communities.

Overall, Sexual Assault Awareness Month has been a well-known institution for quite a while, and only keeps growing in recognition and participation. It is important to note that 1 in 4 college women will experience an instance of sexual assault. You never know who around you has this painful experience in their past or present. Always be open, friendly, non-judgmental, and willing to listen with opens ears, arms, and minds!

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