April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, an annual event aimed at enhancing understanding about sexual assault, amplifying the voices of survivors, and empowering our community to work together to increase safety and respect. The University of Arizona joins with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center to promote this year's awareness month theme, “Together we act, united we change.” This April we call on our community to act together to change the way we understand, talk about, and respond to sexual assault.
Sexual assault is nonconsensual sexual contact, and attempted contact, and includes incidents where an individual is unable to consent. Safety and respect are important in any sexual interaction. Consent is necessary to ensure that sexual contact is mutual; consent is shown by affirmative words or actions, by someone who freely wants to participate in sexual activity and who is able to provide consent – which means that they are not incapacitated, threatened or coerced. Sexual assault is a violation of university expectations and behavioral codes, and a violation of the law.
Sexual assault is a pervasive and serious issue. In a survey by the American Association of Universities, 13% of students reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact. Bystander intervention is an effective way to reduce rates of sexual assault. Bystanders can help prevent sexual assault before it happens by helping targeted persons get to safety, confronting perpetrators and leveraging their positions to speak up. You can learn more about effective bystander intervention at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center website.
The University community is encouraged to act together to raise awareness and help prevent sexual assault. Learn about the supports and resources available to victims, find links to hotlines, protective services, events, campus resources, and download a Zoom or Teams background on the #SAAM2025 website. You can also attend one of the many events happenings in support of SAAM including the Wildcats Roar Against Sexual Violence 5k on April 2, and the SAAM Resource Fair on April 17 on the U of A mall. If you or someone you know needs support, resources are available on the Office of Institution Equity website's employee support website and student support website.