April: Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)

April is recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

About Sexual Assault + Prevention

• Sexual assault is a serious and widespread problem*:
  • "Research on campus sexual assault describes 20% to 30% female (Cantor et al., 2017; Krebs et al., 2016; Lawyer, Resnick, Bakanic, Burkett, & Kilpatrick, 2010), 6.3% to 20% male (Cantor et al., 2017; Tewksbury, 2007), and 29.5% trans and gender nonconforming students (Cantor et al., 2017) have experienced sexual assault during college.  In addition, 28.5% of women experience attempted or completed sexual assault before or after entering college (Krebs, Lindquist, Warner, Fisher, & Martin, 2007) and 18.3% and 44.6% of women respectively experienced rape and other forms of sexual assault in their lifetime (Black et al., 2011).
  • Compared to White peers, racially minoritized populations also experience qualtitatively different experiences when compared to white peers (Black et al., 2011; Gross, Winslett, Roberts, & Gohm, 2006) because of experiences of sexual trauma intersecting with “societal trauma” (Bryant-Davis, Chung, & Tillman, 2009, p. 331) such as racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and other forms of systemic oppression.
  • Despite these high rates of sexual victimization, studies have consistently demonstrated that sexual assault is extremely underreported (Fisher et al., 2003; Gardella et al., 2015; Lindquist, Crosby, Barrick, Krebs, & Settles-Reaves, 2016; Sabina & Ho, 2014; Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000, 2006)".

*Quote Source: Poon Ghaffari, G., 2020. Disclosure patterns of unwanted sexual contact among white and racially minoritized undergraduate students [Unpublished manuscript]. Department of Higher Education, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California

• However, prevention is possible and it’s happening in our community. We continue to combat the risk of sexual harassment, misconduct, and abuse through conversations, programs, policies, and research-based tools that promote safety, respect, and equality.
• Want more info? Check out the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's SAAM resources and fact sheets, including “Your Consent Guide” and “We Can Stop Sexual Assault, Harassment, and Abuse Before They Happen.”

SAAM 2025 

• This year’s national SAAM theme, “Together We Act. United We Change.”, emphasizes the power of collective action.
• The SHARE Office is committed to empowering our community to be part of the solution by organizing, educating, and advocating for survivor support.

• Here is our calendar of events for SAAM 2025: 

  

  Get Involved 

• Come to our events for SAAM (pictured in the calendar above).
• Volunteer at Take Back the Night (TBTN) on April 22nd: bit.ly/tbtnvolunteer
• Wear denim on April 30th to recognize Denim Day, a protest against misconceptions surrounding sexual violence.
• Spread the word! Share the SAAM calendar with your community.

• Follow us on Instagram [@shareatstanford] to stay up to date with all things SAAM and SHARE.

  History of the movement

PAST CAMPAIGNS

"My body is..." Campaign

"Consent is..." Campaign

Past Newsletters

April 1, 2022 - April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April 4, 2022 - SAAM at Stanford (feat. activist Lydia X.Z. Brown)

April 11, 2022 - Upcoming Events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month (feat. activist Sarah Kim)

April 18, 2022 - SAAM: Take Back the Night

April 25, 2022 - SAAM: Denim Day (feat. activist Mia Mingus)

May 4, 2022 - SAAM Recap