Preventing Sexual Violence: Community Call to Action
By: Stephanie Cook
As Sexual Assault Awareness Month comes to an end, it’s important to learn how to stay involved all year with preventing sexual violence. In this post we’ll provide some ways for you to join the movement!
Learn More
Educating yourself about sexual violence is one of the most important things you can do to help prevent it. We have provided a number of resources here, with descriptions for each:
Sexual Assault Awareness Month: This blog post of ours covers basic definitions, statistics, and impacts related to sexual violence
Myths about Sexual Violence: This web page discusses common myths associated with sexual violence and provides facts and explanations to prove them wrong
Consent: Refer to this article for information about consent in sexual interactions, including what consent is and what it looks like
Sexual Rights: This chart is really helpful in listing and describing the inherent rights we have to our own bodies and sexual experiences
Supporting Survivors: Take a look at this article for things you can say and do to be there for a survivor of sexual violence
Self-Care After Sexual Assault: This article can help those healing from sexual violence to come up with physical and emotional self-care strategies that work well for them
Take Action
There are many ways to take action to prevent sexual violence! Below are a few suggestions:
Attend a Workshop:
Attending community education workshops about sexual violence can equip participants with the knowledge and skills to work toward ending this issue. Read the descriptions below for more information about workshops provided in the St. Louis area:
YWCA Metro St. Louis Women’s Resource Center: Provides community education about sexual assault and abuse, including risk-reduction and awareness training, professional education, psycho-educational groups, and off-site outreach services
YWCA Metro St. Louis Woman’s Place: Sexual violence often occurs within intimate partnerships. Woman’s Place provides workshops to educate family and friends, as well as professionals, about how to effectively support survivors of intimate partner violence
Safe Connections on Campus: Provides a space for college students to get involved with learning about and preventing sexual assault and intimate partner violence
Bridgeway Behavioral Health: Provides bystander intervention trainings in St. Charles County and Lincoln County to work toward strengthening community responses to sexual violence
Use Social Media:
Throughout the year you can share information about sexual violence, such as the resources we have listed above, to your social media platforms. You can also share and participate in campaigns, pledges, and other activities. The following organizations have plenty of ways to stay involved. Learn more about what they do and follow them on social media to stay connected:
RAINN: The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network provides a number of statistics and social media posts that you can use to raise awareness about sexual violence and support survivors. They also suggest other ways to get involved, including advocating for effective policies impacting sexual violence survivors.
NO MORE: NO MORE raises awareness about sexual assault and intimate partner violence. They have created several public service announcements addressing these topics, which you can share on your social media sites. They also have pledges and week-long action events that you can participate in.
Volunteer:
Another way to take action is to volunteer. The YWCA Metro St. Louis and several other organizations in the area offer volunteer opportunities to support survivors of sexual violence. Here are a few you can check out:
Provident Life Crisis Services
What are Resources in My Community?
Survivors of sexual violence deserve our care and support. The YWCA Metro St. Louis and other organizations in the area provide services for individuals who have experienced sexual violence or who are concerned that someone they know may be experiencing it. Check out this list to learn more:
YWCA Metro St. Louis Women’s Resource Center: Provides crisis intervention, therapy, and advocacy for individuals who have experienced sexual assault or abuse
YWCA Metro St. Louis Woman’s Place: Provides drop-in support and advocacy for individuals who have experienced domestic abuse
Safe Connections: Provides crisis intervention, individual counseling, classes, and support groups for teens and adults who have experienced sexual assault or intimate partner violence
Bridgeway Behavioral Health: Provides individual and group counseling and crisis intervention services for survivors of sexual violence in St. Charles County and Lincoln County. Also provides substance abuse services
The YWCA Metro St. Louis has also compiled a list of other community resources in the area for individuals who have experienced sexual violence, such as legal and counseling services.
Thank you for joining the YWCA Metro St. Louis for Sexual Assault Awareness Month this April. We encourage you to share this information with those around you and keep in touch with us as we advocate for healthy relationships all year round.
Facebook: YWCA Metro St. Louis
Twitter: YWCA Metro St. Louis (@YWCASTL)
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