This April marks the 23rd annual Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This month is meant to bring awareness, prevention and education to sexual harassment, assault and abuse. The goal is to encourage reflection about an issue that many people may not think about often as well as offer solution to aid in the prevention of sexual assault. 

“I feel like it’s super important that we talk about it.” said Sara Thomas, a freshman nursing major. “I feel safe on our campus, but, like, I know that’s not always the case for some people. I know people who have been victims of it, and I wouldn’t want that to happen to anyone here.” 

The roots of this movement began with the Civil Rights Era in the United States during the 1950s. The fight for equal rights was not only for African American citizens but also for women of all races. Many Black women, such as Rosa Parks, championed the cause throughout this time in history. 

According to Bay Area Women Against Rape, or BAWAR, the first rape crisis center was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1971.​​ These centers spread across the states and become a safe haven for sexual assault victims. In the following decades, the Violence Against Women Act was passed by the U.S. government in 1993. This act protected women who were victims of sexual assault, harassment, abuse, domestic abuse and stalking by providing protected government housing for them and their children. 

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center, or NSVRC, provides a campaign each year, since its founding in 2000, that aims to aid in their goals of awareness and prevention of sexual violence. This year’s theme was “Building Connected Communities,” with the aim of reducing the likelihood of sexual violence in our communities, which could include the workplace, school, family and friends or even online communities. By creating safe communities where members are educated on safe, respectful sex practices, the hope of the NSVRC is that survivors will feel comfortable as well as hope for sexual violence to occur will decrease.

“As a woman, this month is a crucial reminder to people that this is an ongoing problem that many women, as well as men, face on a day to day basis,” said Abbey Ottaway, a junior marketing major. “It’s important that it’s not forgotten and people continue to advocate for change and spread awareness surrounding the subject.” 

The HUB, is home to GC’s Women’s Center, LGBTQ+ Center and the Cultural Center and is hosting many events this month with that theme in mind. The Take Back the Night march on campus was held on April 4. The first Take Back the Night march was organized in England in 1877 by women who feared walking home alone at night. In the U.S., the marches began in San Francisco, California, in 1978 to protest violence against women. 

At GC, the annual Take Back the Night march and rally has taken place since 2006. Protesters march around the entire campus, ending at the Old Courthouse, where survivors of sexual assault tell their stories to the crowd. Members of the Women’s Center also talked to the crowd about education and prevention. The same week as the march, members of the Women’s Center were tabling, passing out flyers, wristbands and other items, all with the reminder of sexual assault prevention. 

While the campaign changes each year, the goals remain the same for the NSVRC: education and prevention. Most women and men who have experienced sexual assault say it was by someone they knew, according to the NSVRC. By building strong, safe communities, they hope that this aids in the prevention of sexual violence.