Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) is an annual campaign to raise public awareness about sexual assault and educate com- munities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence.
So what should we become aware of? Among other things:
-That sexual violence usually happens between people who know each other. Sexual violence can include rape, incest, and unwanted sexual touching or spoken comments. Victims may include intimate partners, children and even spouses. Marriage is no excuse for sexual violence; no one has a right to abuse your body.
-That victims are to be believed and not dismissed. That means that if someone con des in you, it is up to you to take it seriously and then, if appropriate, to take action to protect them or to help empower them to act.
– That your voice has power. Speaking up takes courage, but staying silent can be harder in the long run. Silence can contribute to the occurrence of sexual violence. Your words CAN make a difference.
– That you have the right not to be taken advantage of and you have the right to consent—or not to. You have the right to expect respect from your signi cant other, or anyone else, and that means they need to ASK. You also have the right to change your mind at any time. Consent also means that there is an ongoing dialogue about desires and preferences; it’s not just a simple Yes or No.
– That victims are not to blame. It is not a matter of what you were wearing or how you might have been behaving; violating someone else is always a choice and cannot be excused by too much drinking or “just having a good time.”
– That LGBT reports of intimate partner violence are higher than in the heterosexual community. LGBT deserve to have their boundaries and bodies respected just as much as anyone else, and they do not deserve victimization. (cf. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/ wp-content/uploads/Intimate-Partner-Violence-and-Sexual-Abuse- among-LGBT-People.pdf )
– That the wounds of sexual violence hurt us all. What wounds you, wounds me and our entire community. We all share the pain of sexual violence.
For more information or for advice about how to respond to a situ- ation of sexual violence, whether or not you were the direct victim, call Karidat’s 24-hour victim Hotline at 234-5100.