This April marks the 25th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), an annual campaign dedicated to raising awareness and educating the public about the prevalence of sexual violence. Sexual violence can happen in person or online and affects people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. Sadly, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the country, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted every minute. Every nine minutes, that someone is a child.
Key Takeaways
- Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April) raises awareness and supports survivors of sexual assault.
- Sexual violence is widespread, affecting people of all backgrounds, and is often underreported.
- Awareness helps break down stigma, making it easier for survivors to come forward and pursue accountability.
- Education is critical to challenging misconceptions, recognizing signs of abuse, and responding appropriately when someone discloses harm.
- Trauma-informed support and institutional accountability are key to protecting survivors and preventing future harm.
Why Is Awareness Important for Survivors?
While awareness alone cannot solve a problem of this magnitude, it does play an important role in breaking down stigma by encouraging meaningful conversations about prevention and accountability. Survivors of sexual abuse often face complex emotional, psychological, and social challenges in the aftermath of abuse, including feelings of shame, fear, and isolation. These barriers can make it incredibly difficult for a victim to come forward and pursue accountability. Awareness initiatives like SAAM help to counteract those barriers by normalizing conversations around abuse and reinforcing the message that survivors are not alone. In our support of SAAM, we, at Shepard O’Donnell, honor survivors of sexual abuse by listening to their stories and helping them hold their abuser, and the institutions that allowed the abuse to occur, accountable.
Why Education Matters
One of the most important aspects of SAAM is education. Increasing public understanding of what sexual assault is can challenge harmful misconceptions and victim-blaming narratives. It also helps people recognize signs of abuse and learn how to respond appropriately if someone reports that they have been sexually assaulted. Education is not just for individuals; institutions, workplaces, schools, and healthcare systems all benefit from improved awareness and training that can prevent abuse and better support those affected by it.
According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, sexual violence is an umbrella term that includes a range of behaviors relating to any type of unwanted sexual contact including:
- rape or sexual assault
- sexual harassment
- sexual abuse
- unwanted sexual contact/touching
- sexual exploitation and trafficking
- exposing one’s genitals or naked body to others without consent
- nonconsensual image sharing
- words and actions of a sexual nature against a person’s will and without their consent
When we educate ourselves about what sexual violence means and what can be done to help prevent it, we make our communities safer and empower survivors to hold perpetrators accountable.
Trauma-Informed Support is Crucial
Survivors of sexual abuse are often best supported through a trauma-informed approach. At Shepard O’Donnell, we know how difficult it can be to come forward with a sexual abuse claim. That’s why our legal team includes a dedicated in-house victim advocate. From your first conversation with us, you’ll have someone by your side who understands the emotional toll of trauma and is there to offer guidance, comfort, and practical support. This means listening without judgment and recognizing that healing is not linear. Survivors may choose different paths forward. Some may seek counseling or community support, while others may explore legal options to hold perpetrators or institutions accountable. What matters most is that survivors are empowered to make decisions that feel right for them, on their own timeline.
What You Can Do
SAAM also serves as a call to action. It encourages communities to examine the systems and structures that allow abuse to occur or go unaddressed. This includes looking closely at institutional failures such as in schools, healthcare settings, or residential treatment facilities where power imbalances and lack of oversight can create environments where abuse persists. Holding these systems accountable is an essential step in preventing future harm.
There are ways in which individuals can participate during this month as well. Wearing teal, the color associated with sexual assault awareness, is a visible sign of support, as is wearing denim on Denim Day to protest victim-blaming (this year, Denim Day falls on April 29.) Sharing educational resources, attending local events, or simply having open and respectful conversations can all contribute to a broader cultural shift and even small actions can help create a safer and more compassionate community.
If you have been the victim of sexual abuse we encourage you to take the important first step in holding your abuser accountable. Contact us at (800) 451-4471 for a free, confidential, no-obligation discussion about possible legal action. We would be glad to explain what’s involved in the process of filing a claim. You can read more about our approach to working with sexual abuse survivors in our blog.
We are committed to protecting your confidentiality and ensuring that you feel safe and supported throughout the legal process. Your healing, your rights, and your story are important, not just as a legal case, but as a person who matters.
