It can happen to anyone: your mother, brother, sister, classmate, teammate, or friend. Someone close to you might be a victim and you wouldn't even know. Sexual assault is rarely talked about because it is a topic that makes people uncomfortable, even though it is a serious problem. Well, it's time to talk about it because April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). The goal of SAAM is to raise awareness about sexual violence in local and national communities and educate individuals about bystander awareness and how to prevent sexual assault.
Sexual violence affects approximately 293,000 individuals 12 years of age and over every year in the United States: that is one assault every 107 seconds. However, this number is difficult to dictate because it does not include children under 12 years of age and those sexual assaults that go unreported on college campuses and in our communities. According to the Joyful Heart Foundation, one in five women and one in 71 men will be a victim of sexual violence in their lifetime. That is too many, but how can we help prevent this terrible situation from occurring and how can we help the survivors of sexual assault?
Several national organizations have recently taken on the role of promoting bystander awareness and providing information about how to prevent sexual violence and how to support survivors. In 2014, the White House launched the It's On Us initiative which education students about sexual violence and how to prevent it on college campuses.
There are over 100 companies and campus affiliates that have teamed up with the It's On Us initiative to promote this important message, including Pandora, the NCAA, MTV, the B1G conference, and many others. It's On Us spreads an important message about bystander awareness and how being a buddy for a friend can help reduce sexual violence by up to 40 percent.
Sexual violence is a serious issue that cannot be swept under the rug any longer. It's time to talk about it and take a stand. It's time to take responsibility and say 'it's on us.' It's on us to stop sexual assault. It's on us to be that person, that teammates, that friend that stops something terrible from happening. You can take the It's on Us pledge to stop sexual violence at http://itsonus.org/#pledge.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual violence and need to talk to someone:
National Domestic Violence Hotline - 1.800.799.7233
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network - 1.800.656.4673
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 1.800.273.8255
It's on us. Let's do this.
