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https://www.nsvrc.org/saam/2023/blogs/therapy
Mar 14, 2023
Given that our SAAM 2023 theme is all about drawing connections, it’s vital to reflect on one of the most important connections we can make-the one with ourselves. The path to healing is a complex journey. Therapeutic outlets are one of the most common ways survivors of trauma express, process, and find closure in their lives. Although therapy and counseling are becoming increasingly common, the sheer number of options available can be overwhelming-especially when one is at the start of their healing journey. While there are still many barriers to accessing mental health and therapeutic
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/saam/what-are-connections-between-transphobia-racism-and-sexual-violence
Mar 08, 2023
What is Transphobia? Transphobia “is the hatred of transgender people… typically accompanied by the belief that trans people don’t deserve respect or rights.” It can encompass fear or hatred towards transgender people, or the belief or idea that transgender people aren’t real or are somehow not valid in their own identity. Transphobia is deeply institutionalized and causes direct harm and loss of life for transgender people.   Transphobia shows up as a range of behaviors that make it difficult for trans people “to live openly and comfortably in society.” These include, but are not
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/saam/what-connection-between-language-access-sexual-violence-and-racism
Mar 08, 2023
What is Language Access?  Language justice is the right of people to communicate in the language that is most comfortable for them. Language access assures that the same services  offered to English-speaking individuals are offered to everyone. According to the National Center on Law and Elder Rights, “Language access rights are guaranteed under federal law. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its corresponding regulations protect against discrimination on the basis of national origin. Courts have interpreted this protected class to include spoken language.” Language access
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/saam/what-connection-between-media-and-sexual-violence-and-systems-oppression
Mar 08, 2023
How powerful is the media in creating social norms? Social media, television shows, movies, advertisements, celebrity events, and other large public viewership happenings are powerful tools in setting cultural trends, social norms, and lifestyle benchmarks. These norms include subtle (or not so subtle) cues about how certain people should look, act, what they should wear, and how they should live. This doesn’t just create changes in material culture (styles, trends, and aesthetics), but creates internal changes within us, between us, and internally in our own community. It changes how we see
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/saam/what-connection-between-housing-inequality-sexual-violence-and-white-supremacy
Mar 08, 2023
What is the state of housing inequality in the United States? Housing inequality is a form of economic discrimination in which not all people are able to live in places where they can be free from harm, threat, or barriers that keep them from thriving. In addition to the rising costs of living, the impacts of COVID-19 created an increase in housing insecurity that is affecting millions of people. According to a national survey taken in August 2021, 3.7 million people responded that they were “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to face eviction in the next two months, while 7.7 million people
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/saam/what-connection-between-mass-violence-racism-and-sexual-violence
Mar 08, 2023
How are acts of mass violence connected to white supremacy? Research has demonstrated that there is a positive correlation between mass violence like  shootings and white supremacist ideologies. White supremacy has always been synonymous with acts of terrorism and in the desire to commit large scale murder and violence against its victims: - immigrants, LGBTQ folks,  people of the Jewish faith, its naysayers, but mainly Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in the United States.  It is a common misconception that mental illness is the sole driving force of mass
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/saam/what-connection-between-sexual-violence-racial-injustice-and-all-forms-abuse
Mar 08, 2023
This Q&A page is meant for white audiences struggling to understand how issues of racism and sexual violence are connected, and why preventing sexual violence requires ending white supremacy culture. It also explains white people’s role in making these changes.   How is the sexual violence movement tied together with the movement to end racial injustice? At its heart, doing the work of sexual violence prevention is:  a refusal to accept abuses of power in the world, a commitment to stopping those same abuses from continuing, and  providing space for victims to reclaim
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/saam/social-justice-booklist-children-teens-and-young-adults
Mar 08, 2023
Social justice means equal rights and equitable opportunities for all. True social change relies on actions and efforts at multiple levels, and it can begin with introducing youth to social justice books to help them better understand different cultures, people, and situations. Like adults, youth can identify inequity– they understand the world through their own personal interactions that develop over time. These interactions mold their sense of self and how they view others, including those from different racial, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Teaching youth what equity is
https://www.nsvrc.org/es/es/blogs/saam/2023/el-tema-central-del-mes-de-concientizacion-sobre-la-agresion-sexual-2023
Mar 01, 2023
El mes de concientización sobre la agresión sexual (SAAM, por sus siglas en inglés) resalta el hecho de que la violencia sexual es un asunto generalizado y afecta a todas las personas en la comunidad. El SAAM busca concientizar a la población acerca de la violencia sexual e informar a las comunidades sobre cómo prevenirla. El tema central del Mes de concientización sobre la agresión sexual 2023 es “Trazando conexiones: la prevención exige equidad”. La campaña hace un llamado a todas las personas, comunidades, organizaciones e instituciones al cambio: en nosotros mismos, así como en los
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/new-data-cdc-shows-increased-violence-and-trauma-teens-and-how-schools-can-be-lifeline
Mar 01, 2023
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a new report of findings from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The YRBS is a survey conducted every two years of a nationally representative sample of U.S. public and private high school students that monitors health-related behaviors and experiences including social determinants of health and protective factors.   According to the survey data from 2021 and 2022 , the number of teen girls who have reported experiencing sexual violence has increased (from 15% in 2017 to 18% in 2021). This is the first report