The month of April is used to spread awareness about sexual assault in order to help prevent sexual violence and raise the voices of survivors. Sexual violence is a widely-known issue that many, regardless of gender, have suffered through. This month’s movement was established during the civil rights era in the 40s and 50s to bring visibility to the issue and work towards changing societal behaviors to prevent sexual violence. Statistics say that for every 6 American women, 1 has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime and for every 33 American men, 1 has experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. Of all victims of rape, 9 out of every 10 are said to be female. The reason why sexual violence is a prevalent issue is due to the fact that our world is deeply rooted in the patriarchy which affects both men and women negatively. By changing these learned behaviors, communities are able to help prevent more sexual violence from ensuing, whilst equally bringing us towards a more equitable future.

Sources: https://www.rainn.org/resources, https://www.rainn.org/statistics/scope-problem, https://www.thecenteronline.org/education/awareness/sexual-assault-awareness-month/, https://www.nsvrc.org/saam/history