How to Prevent Sexual Violence

Sexual violence is a serious crime that can impact anyone. It violates a person’s sense of safety and trust and can have devastating consequences on survivors. It can lead to physical and emotional trauma, as well as impacts on the survivor’s family and friends. It can cause a loss of self-esteem, depression, feelings of being powerless and a feeling of being unloved. It can affect a person’s daily activities, such as eating and sleeping patterns and can make it difficult to concentrate or even get out of bed in the morning. It can also contribute to anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Survivors of sexual assault may experience many different emotions and reactions after an incident such as guilt, shame, fear, anger, numbness, or even feelings of denial. This can lead to changes in their relationships with friends, family and coworkers. They may also have a hard time trusting others, or feel that their loved ones won’t believe them. It is important to remember that all survivors respond differently and that everyone’s reaction is valid.

It is vital to understand that no one deserves to be the victim of sexual violence, no matter who they are or what they do. It is important to remember that the perpetrator is responsible for committing the act of sexual violence and not the victim. Perpetrators use a variety of tactics to control and manipulate their victims including intimidation, threats, manipulation and abuse of power. They often prey on people who are not free to give consent to sexual contact due to mental incapacity, disability or intoxication (whether they are underage or adult).

The causes of sexual violence are complex and differ from individual to individual. They can include a range of social, cultural and economic factors. These can include the settings where violence occurs (such as schools, churches, neighborhoods and workplaces) and the ways that these environments and their characteristics may encourage or inhibit violence. They can also include broad societal norms, beliefs and policies that promote or discourage violence such as gender inequality and sexually-explicit messages in media and entertainment.

Prevention is everyone’s responsibility. We can all take steps to create safe communities through promoting and practicing healthy relationships, behaviours and attitudes as well as by intervening to stop disrespectful or problematic behaviour. We can support communities that teach children about consent and boundaries and advocate for legislation that supports victims and holds perpetrators accountable.

Every community is unique and varies in size, demographics, socio-economic status, values and norms, and resources. This means that no one prevention strategy is a good fit for every community. It is important to work with the local community to develop a prevention strategy that will have the most positive impact.

Treatments for trauma vary and include a “top-down” approach, which focuses on changing thoughts and beliefs, or a “bottom-up” approach that releases the trauma stored in a person’s body, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). In addition, some people benefit from group therapy, where they can share their experiences with other victims of sexual assault and receive advice and support on how to cope with the effects of sexual violence.