The Day of Action for Sexual Assault Awareness Month is conducted annually on the first Tuesday of April. This year’s celebration occurs on April 4. The day brings attention to sexual assault. Through education, we seek to prevent sexual assault, harassment, and abuse. It is essential to instruct consent and understand boundaries. Through social media campaigns, events, and other means, the day promotes crucial tools for shifting cultural views. The day provides methods to support victims throughout the month and beyond.
The background of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month’s Day of Action
Following the broader trend of social activity throughout the decade, the prevention and awareness of sexual violence in the United States increased dramatically during the 1970s. The Bay Area Women Against Rape established the nation’s first rape crisis centre in 1971, providing immediate victim care in addition to raising awareness. Since 1976, Take Back the Night marches have brought together women in organised protest against rape and sexual assault. These actions eventually coalesced into a movement that expanded throughout the United States and Europe. As a consequence of this campaign, actions to raise awareness about violence against women have become more widespread.
In the early 1980s, when campaigners utilised the month of October to bring attention to violence against women, domestic violence awareness became the primary focus. In the late 1980s, the National Coalition Against Sexual Assault (N.C.A.S.A.) conducted an informal survey of state sexual assault coalitions to determine the optimal date for Sexual Assault Awareness Week. Numerous advocates began organising programmes and events throughout the month of April in the late 1990s to support the idea of a nationally recognised month for sexual violence awareness and prevention. In April 2001, SAAM was first detected across the country.
1994 saw the writing and implementation of the Violence Against Women Act, which brought together state coalitions, activists, and victims. In 2000, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center was founded by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2001, the N.S.V.R.C. organised the nation’s first official Sexual Assault Awareness Month campaign.
Victims of Violence Wholly Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Martin Luther King Jr.
National Hug a Newsperson Day 2023: Date, History, Activities
404 Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities
5 IMPORTANT FACTS REGARDING SEXUAL ASSAULT
Every 73 seconds, a sexual assault occurs in the United States.
More than one-third of women and one-fourth of men have experienced sexual assault.
Approximately 20% of American women have reported being raped, either successfully or unsuccessfully.
Approximately 13% of abused women attempt suicide.
Sexual assault survivors are ten times more likely to use hard substances.
NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH’S DAY OF ACTION DATES
Year | Date | Day |
---|---|---|
2022 | April 5 | Tuesday |
2023 | April 4 | Tuesday |
2024 | April 2 | Tuesday |
2025 | April 1 | Tuesday |
2026 | April 7 | Tuesday |