Resources for Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2007

Prevent Sexual Violence . . . In Our Communities

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), a month devoted to raising awareness about the need to prevent sexual violence and its devastating consequences. The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), several bureaus and offices of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), and other concerned organizations offer many sexual assault awareness publications, products, and events.

You are encouraged to download and use these resources in your planning and awareness campaign. Learn more about:

The immediate and long-term physical and psychological damage from sexual violence can lead to harmful and lasting consequences for victims, families, and communities. Sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes, so available data greatly underestimate the true magnitude of the problem.

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Sexual Assault Awareness Month poster
Download the poster
(PDF 115 KB)

If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual violence and needs help,
contact the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) hotline at 800-656-HOPE.

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) develops and supports state, local, tribal, and nonprofit entities in responding to violence against women through programs such as:

The President's Family Justice Center Initiative, which was developed to make a violence victim's search for help and justice more efficient and effective by bringing an array of services together under one roof.
The Safety for Indian Women from Sexual Assault Offenders Demonstration Initiative, which is designed to enhance the response of tribal and federal agencies to the high rates of sexual assault committed against Indian women.
The President's DNA Initiative, which provides funding, training, and assistance to ensure that forensic DNA reaches its full potential to more effectively solve crime, protect the innocent, and identify missing persons.

Download The President's DNA Initiative
(PDF 1.83 MB)

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, improve the criminal and juvenile justice systems, increase knowledge about crime and related issues, and assist crime victims. Within OJP, several agencies address issues relating to sexual violence and its repercussions.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), a component of OJP, provides objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of crime and justice.

In the January 2007 publication of the NIJ Journal (issue no. 256), "Sexual Assault in Abusive Relationships" reports that two-thirds of intimate-partner victims of physical abuse are also sexually assaulted by that partner and offers professionals steps for change.
Read about Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court, NIJ's interactive, computer-based training program designed to assist lawyers and judges in the use of DNA analysis in the courtroom.

NIJ Journal, January 2007
Download the January 2007 NIJ Journal
(PDF 12 KB)

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), also a part of OJP, offers resources to assist youth victimized by sexual assault.

Sex offenses commited by juveniles represent a serious problem, and one in two adult offenders began sexually abusive activity as a juvenile. Early intervention is critical, but programs used to treat juvenile offenders often are based on adult offender treatment without addressing the unique developmental needs of youth. Juveniles Who Have Sexually Offended (NCJ 184739) reviews professional literature to help enable us to better address those needs and risks.

Juveniles Who Have Sexually Offended document
Download the PDF
(PDF 854 KB)

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) publishes literature for providers of victim services on victim-related issues, promising practices, policy development, technical assistance, and skill-building tools. For example, read about:

The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program, which provides direct patient care in SANE-designated facilities to victims of sexual assault.
The OVC Web Forum Guest Host resource, which offers victim services providers and allied professionals the opportunity to share ideas and ask questions of the nation's experts in discussions of best practices in victim issues. In observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, join OVC and OVW in a Web Forum on Thursday, April 26, 2007, from 2 to 3 p.m. e.t., to discuss the challenges faced by sexual assault response teams. Dr. Linda Ledray, Founder and Director of the Minneapolis-based Sexual Assault Resource Service, and Elise Turner, Education Coordinator for the Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault, will co-host the event. Visit the OVC Web Forum to participate.

OVC Web Forum April 26 event notice
Visit the Web Forum

Office for Victims of Crime events calendar
Find events that commemorate Sexual Assault Awareness Month

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) is a comprehensive collection and distribution center for information, research, and emerging policy on sexual violence intervention and prevention. NSVRC is the coordinator of national SAAM initiatives. Resources offered include:

Events Calendar. Postings include events sponsored by local, state, territory, tribal, and college sexual assault programs, conferences, meetings, and workshops.
Sexual Violence and the Spectrum of Prevention: Towards a Community Solution (Rachel Davis, Lisa Fujie Parks, and Larry Cohen, 2006) provides advocates, practitioners, and educators with a guide for developing a comprehensive community approach to the primary prevention of sexual violence.
Frequently Asked Questions about SAAM.

National Sexual Violence Resource Center events calendar
Visit Calendar

Resources offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, include:

Understanding Sexual Violence Fact Sheet.
Sexual Violence Prevention: Beginning the Dialogue (2004), which discusses sexual violence as a serious public health problem with extensive short- and long-term health consequences. It identifies concepts and strategies that may be used for planning, implementing, and evaluating sexual violence prevention activities.

Sexual violence fact sheet
Visit the Online Fact Sheet
(PDF 59 KB)

VAWnet is an online resource for advocates working to end domestic violence, sexual assault, and other violence in the lives of women and their children.

Commissioned by NSVRC, Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (David A. Wolfe and Peter G. Jaffe, 2003) provides an overview of the research on effective prevention programs.

Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault document
Download the PDF
(PDF 46 KB)

It is the goal of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office on Violence Against Women to present information that is current, useful, and pertinent to the work you do every day to keep victims safe and hold offenders accountable for their crimes.

If you no longer want to receive periodic e-mail notifications from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service or any of its sponsoring agencies, please go to https://puborder.ncjrs.gov/secure/register/optout.asp and follow the instructions.