What you can do about sexual violence

              Injury Prevention
Facts & Tips
Rev. July 2012
Injury Prevention Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health, 1000 NE 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73117 http://ips.health.ok.gov
What You Can Do about Sexual Violence
Rape and sexual assault are serious public health concerns.
• 1,526 forcible and attempted rapes of women were reported by law enforcement during 2009. (Uniform Crime Reporting System, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation) • 31% of women 18-35 years of age reported experiencing sexual assault in their lifetimes. (Sexual Assault Prevention Women’s Survey, University of Oklahoma Public Opinion Learning Laboratory, 2006) – 74% were younger than 18 years of age when the first sexual assault occurred. – 32% of women who had been sexually assaulted had experienced more than one sexual assault. • One in 5 (20%) college women in the U.S. have experienced a completed rape and one in 4 (25%) have experienced an attempted rape. (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control)
Schools and Youth Serving Organizations can:
• Create a climate where violence and harassment are not tolerated. Create and enforce policies that promote respect, communication, and conflict resolution without violence. • Train teachers and staff to recognize and intervene if they see or hear about sexual violence or sexual harassment. • Implement education for students on healthy relationships and gender equity.
Colleges and Universities can:
• Create a climate where violence and harassment are not tolerated. Create and enforce policies that promote respect, communication, and conflict resolution without violence. • Review, revise, and enforce policies on sexual misconduct and sexual harassment including publicizing policies several times a year to remind students, faculty and staff. • Train students, faculty, and staff to recognize and intervene if they see or hear about sexual violence or sexual harassment.
Faith Organizations can:
• Promote respect and gender equity through sermons, newsletters, and discussions. • Create a climate where violence and harassment are not tolerated. Create and enforce policies that promote respect, communication, and conflict resolution without violence. • Train leaders to recognize and intervene if they see or hear about sexual violence or sexual harassment. • Implement education for students around healthy relationships and gender equity.
Individuals can:
• Be a role model - through your words and actions show that you respect your partner. • Use communication rather than violence to solve problems. • Support healthy relationship education in schools and youth serving organizations.
Rape and sexual assault are preventable. Individuals and communities working together can address risk factors for perpetrating rape: • Attitudes and beliefs that condone sexual violence and sexual harassment • Hostility towards women • Abusive or neglectful family environments • Weak laws and infrequent prosecution of sexual assault and sexual harassment Prevention strategies should promote: • Healthy and respectful relationships • Intolerance of violence • Equality • Offender accountability