Sexual assault and violence impacts millions of people, all over the world, every day. Each April, for the past 19 years, efforts to prevent, support, and heal sexual violence have been coordinated in a month-long effort to bring awareness to the problem and offer possible solutions and healing. During Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), groups all over the world host events, share information, and educate people on the meaning and impact of sexual assault.
This month, SAAM at USF has moved online. You can find support, no matter where you are, from USF’s Counseling Center (CAPS) and Title IX Office, and elsewhere through organizations such as the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). Because of our current shelter in place orders, some people may be experiencing increased risk of assault, so NSVRC offers resources for those who feel an intensified threat.
To participate in or learn more about events happening online this year, please see information on participating in SAAM online, or Denim Day, or learn more about the Clothesline Project. Or watch one of these excellent films from the library’s streaming video collections:
The Hunting Ground – Startling expose of sexual assault on US campuses and the devastating toll they take on students and their families.
Sex on Trial – Was it rape? 24 of them are shown a specially written drama about a sexual encounter and are put to the test to see if they can work out if it is consensual sex or if a crime has been committed.
The Bystander Moment – The #MeToo movement has shined much-needed light on the pervasiveness of sexual harassment and abuse. The film tells the story of a gender violence prevention model that actually works – the innovative bystander approach developed by pioneering scholar and activist Jackson Katz.
Breaking Ground: Men Against Rape – Rape isn’t just a woman’s problem. This film looks at programs in which men play a major role in rape prevention.
Consent on Campus – Can consent be clearly defined? Is it easier in theory than in practice? What does “yes means yes” really mean? And what are colleges doing to educate their students?
-post by Penny Scott and Debbie Benrubi