April is sexual assault awareness month. This post may be triggering for some readers. If you find it triggering please stop reading the post and reach out for help.
There are many forms of sexual violence. Sexual violence is any type of unwanted or nonconsensual sexual contact. What is sexual violence?
- rape or sexual assault
- including sexual assault by a spouse or partner
- child sexual assault or incest
- unwanted sexual touching
- sexual harassment
- sexual exploitation
- sexual trafficking
- masturbating in public
- exposing genitals without consent
- watching someone engage in private acts without their knowledge or permission
- Nonconsensual image sharing
"Consent is more than yes or no. It is a dialogue about desires, needs and level of comfort with different sexual interactions. Consent must be freely given and informed, and a person can change their mind at any time." (retrieved from https://www.nsvrc.org/about-sexual-assault)
What can you do to help as friends or family?
- share information about sexual violence
- inform people it is not the victim's fault
- Tell people that you will not condone sexual harassment or exploitation
- Tell people that comments regarding victim blaming are not appreciated in your presence and you would like them to stop
Where to get help?
- National Sexual Violence Resource Center
- Survivors
- Friends & Family
- Advocates
- Kansas Coalition against sexual & domestic violence
- Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center
- A guide for friends and family of sexual violence survivors
- http://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/2017-10/friends_and_family_guide_final.pdf
- As One Project: Rewriting Justice -- a workbook for family and friends of survivors
