Sexual violence and abuse are rampant issues affecting millions of people each year.
It’s time to raise awareness about the need to end sexual violence and make a difference for the future by participating in events and activities dedicated to the SAAM Day of Action!
SAAM Day of Action Timeline
Sojourner Truth Speaks Out
At the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, Sojourner Truth delivers her “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, confronting racism, sexism, and violence and influencing later movements against sexual exploitation and abuse.
First Rape Crisis Center Opens in the United States
Bay Area Women Against Rape opens in San Francisco as the country’s first rape crisis center, offering survivor-centered counseling, advocacy, and hotlines that become foundational to modern sexual assault response.
First State Sexual Assault Coalition Forms
The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape is founded as the first statewide sexual assault coalition in the United States, coordinating advocacy, policy work, and community education among local programs.
Early Take Back the Night Marches Spread in the U.S.
Take Back the Night events grow on college campuses and in cities across the United States, building on earlier marches to protest rape and other forms of sexual violence and to reclaim public spaces at night.
Violence Against Women Act Becomes Law
President Bill Clinton signs the Violence Against Women Act, dedicating federal funding to investigation, prosecution, and victim services for domestic and sexual violence and reinforcing a national response to gender-based violence.
How to Celebrate SAAM Day of Action
Take action and get involved on this day — and all throughout the year — to be part of ending sexual violence for individuals and in communities across the country and the world.
Consider some of these important opportunities to participate in the SAAM Day of Action:
Wear Teal on SAAM Day of Action
Get started celebrating the day by coordinating your wardrobe with others to show support for the SAAM Day of Action! Teal is the support color for the entire month, and specifically for this day, to promote awareness about sexual assault and work toward prevention.
Teal is also a color that honors survivors of sexual violence and harassment, so those who are willing to share their stories might choose to wear teal on this day.
Those who aren’t wearing teal on this day can still show support by using graphics provided by NSVRC.
These can be used as backgrounds for Zoom meetings, turned into profile pictures for social media, or made into Instagram stories. Check out the resources at the NSVRC website.
Host a SAAM Day of Action Event
An important part of making others aware about and ending sexual violence is using influence to get more people involved.
Hosting an event to show support, raise awareness and even raise funds would be an excellent way to connect community members toward this common cause.
This could be an educational event hosted on a university campus, a fund-raising event like a walk or run for charity, or some other activity that will get community members involved with the SAAM Day of Action.
Make a Donation to End Sexual Violence
An excellent way to give support to this cause and helping to put an end to sexual violence would be to make a financial contribution to an rape crisis center or some other organization that supports those who have experienced this type of trauma.
Learn about a local organization through personal connections or consider donating to one of these groups in honor of the SAAM Day of Action:
- National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)
- RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network)
- Take Back the Night Foundation
- National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV)
History of SAAM Day of Action
Directly associated with Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the SAAM Day of Action is a specific event that is designed to motivate people into performing highly visible and coordinated actions.
Coordinated by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) since 2004, this day aims to get more people not only aware of the need to make a change in sexual violence culture, but also to catalyze people to get actively involved.
This is an important time to have conversations about a topic that is sometimes considered taboo or unsavory. It’s time to bring what’s dark into the light during the SAAM Day of Action.
Facts About SAAM Day of Action
Sexual violence remains vastly underreported
In the United States, analyses of the Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey show that only a minority of sexual assaults are reported to police, with reporting rates generally well below half and often closer to one in four incidents.
Survivors most frequently cite reasons such as fear of retaliation, a belief that the incident is a personal matter, the expectation that police will not or cannot help, or a desire to protect the offender.
Sexual assault can cause long-term changes in brain and body
Clinical and neuroimaging research has found that sexual trauma is associated with lasting changes in brain regions involved in fear and memory, including the amygdala and hippocampus, and with dysregulation of stress-response systems.
Survivors of sexual assault have markedly higher rates of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, substance use disorders, chronic pain, and certain cardiovascular and autoimmune conditions than people who have not experienced such violence.
Sexual violence affects people across all demographics but not equally
Data from the CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey indicate that nearly 1 in 5 women and about 1 in 38 men in the United States have experienced completed or attempted rape in their lifetime, and some communities face even higher burdens.
Multiracial women, American Indian and Alaska Native women, people with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults report disproportionately high rates of sexual violence, reflecting how racism, ableism, and anti-LGBTQ+ bias can compound vulnerability and limit access to support.
Bystander intervention training has measurable preventive effects
Evaluations of bystander intervention programs that teach participants to notice risky situations, create distractions, and enlist help suggest they can reduce sexual violence at the population level.
A multi-year cluster randomized trial of the Green Dot program in Kentucky high schools found that schools receiving the training had significantly lower self-reported rates of sexual violence perpetration and victimization than comparison schools, indicating that equipping peers to intervene can shift social norms and behaviors.
Comprehensive sex education can reduce sexual violence risk factors
Evidence reviews by public health agencies have found that comprehensive, age-appropriate sexuality education that addresses consent, communication, and gender norms can reduce behaviors linked to sexual violence.
Programs that explicitly discuss power imbalances, challenge rigid gender stereotypes, and build skills for negotiating boundaries are associated with lower acceptance of violence and improved ability to recognize and resist coercion among adolescents.
Rape crisis centers grew out of grassroots feminist and civil rights organizing
Modern rape crisis centers in the United States emerged in the early 1970s, when volunteers and activists created community-based services in response to pervasive mistreatment of rape survivors by police, hospitals, and courts.
Early groups such as Bay Area Women Against Rape and other collectives not only offered hotlines and accompaniment but also pushed for reforms like rape shield laws and later contributed to advocacy that helped shape national legislation addressing violence against women.
What do experts mean by “sexual violence,” and how is it different from harassment or consensual sex?
Experts use “sexual violence” as an umbrella term for any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act using coercion, force, threats, or when a person cannot consent.
This includes rape, child sexual abuse, unwanted sexual contact, and some forms of sexual exploitation. Sexual harassment typically involves unwelcome sexual comments or behaviors that create a hostile environment, especially in workplaces or schools, and may or may not include physical contact.
Consensual sex, by contrast, requires clear, voluntary, and ongoing agreement from everyone involved, without pressure, manipulation, or imbalance of power that prevents a person from freely choosing.
How common is sexual violence, and who is most affected?
Sexual violence is widespread and affects people of all genders, ages, and backgrounds.
In the United States, survey data suggest that more than half of women and nearly one in three men report experiencing some form of sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetimes, and sexual victimization is also reported by people of diverse gender identities.
Children and young adults are at particularly high risk, with many assaults occurring before age 25. Marginalized groups, including people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, and some racial and ethnic minorities, often face higher rates of victimization and additional barriers to safety and support.
What are some evidence‑based strategies for preventing sexual assault in communities?
Research points to a combination of approaches rather than a single solution.
Effective strategies include teaching skills for healthy, respectful relationships and affirmative consent; training people to recognize risk and intervene safely as active bystanders; creating policies that reduce opportunities for harm in schools, workplaces, and public spaces; and addressing broader issues like gender inequality, norms that condone aggression, and substance misuse.
Programs that start early, are repeated over time, and are tailored to the community tend to be more effective than one‑time awareness talks.
How does bystander intervention actually work in real situations?
Bystander intervention programs teach people to notice potentially harmful situations, interpret them as a problem, feel responsible to act, and choose a safe way to step in.
In practice, this might mean creating a distraction to pull someone away from a high‑risk situation, checking in privately with a person who looks uncomfortable, getting friends or staff to help, or contacting security or police if there is immediate danger.
Studies on campus‑based programs show that bystander training can increase participants’ confidence and willingness to intervene, and can reduce self‑reported perpetration and victimization in some settings.
What should someone say if a friend or family member discloses sexual assault or abuse?
Trauma‑informed guidance from crisis centers suggests starting with simple, non‑judgmental support, such as “I believe you,” “I’m sorry this happened,” and “It’s not your fault.”
It is important to avoid pressing for details, questioning their choices, or making promises that cannot be kept. Instead, the listener can ask what the person needs right now, offer options such as medical care, counseling, or contacting a hotline, and respect whatever choice the survivor makes.
Ensuring immediate safety and emotional support, while letting the survivor retain control over next steps, is central to a helpful response.
What kinds of services do rape crisis centers and sexual violence hotlines provide?
Rape crisis centers and sexual violence hotlines typically offer confidential emotional support, crisis counseling, information about medical and legal options, and referrals to ongoing therapy or support groups.
Many centers have advocates who can accompany survivors to hospitals, forensic exams, or court proceedings, and they often provide prevention education in schools and communities.
In the United States, services can be accessed 24/7 through resources such as the National Sexual Assault Hotline, which connects callers and online chat users with trained staff at local programs.
How do definitions of consent and sexual offenses differ across countries?
Definitions of consent and sexual offenses vary widely in law and practice. Some countries now use “affirmative consent” standards that define consent as clear and voluntary agreement, while others still rely on laws that focus on force, threats, or resistance.
In recent years, several jurisdictions, particularly in Europe and parts of the Americas, have revised rape laws to center on absence of consent rather than proof of physical violence.
Cultural norms, enforcement practices, and access to justice also differ, which means similar acts may be prosecuted differently depending on where they occur.
