Sexual Assault Awareness Month: We can all choose to step in

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Live Violence Free (LVF) is dedicated to supporting and empowering survivors and providing prevention and education throughout the community.

Every 73 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. In 2020, LVF supported 91 South Lake Tahoe and Alpine County community members who experienced sexual assault victimization. 44% of those needing support were children and teens, with over 700 unique services, such as safe housing, victim advocacy, court accompaniment, counseling, and legal services.

Sexual assault can take many different forms, but one thing remains the same: it is never the victim's fault. Sexual assault is any sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the victim's explicit consent. Some forms of sexual assault include attempted rape, rape, fondling or unwanted sexual touching, forcing a victim to perform sexual acts. Consent is an ongoing process of discussing boundaries and what you're comfortable with. Although the legal definition of consent varies by location and circumstance, the general concept is always the same: consent is an agreement between participants to engage in sexual activity. At its core, consent is about communicating, understanding, and respecting another person's boundaries,

LVF is committed to breaking the cycle of violence by educating the community to understand violence and abuse issues. We know that prevention, education, and supporting survivors are all about promoting social norms that protect against violence, teaching skills to prevent sexual assault, providing opportunities to empower others, creating safe spaces throughout the community, and supporting victims of violence.

We all have a role in helping to prevent and reduce sexual assault. The only person responsible for committing sexual assault is a perpetrator, but we all can look out for each other's safety. Bystander intervention is a situation where someone who isn't directly involved steps in to change the outcome. Stepping in may give the person you're concerned about a chance to get to a safe place or leave the situation.

Whether you're taking home a friend who has had too much to drink, explaining that a rape joke isn't funny, or getting security involved when someone is behaving aggressively, choosing to step in can affect how those around you think about and respond to sexual violence.

Whether or not you were able to change the outcome of the situation, by stepping in, you are helping transform the way people think about their roles in preventing sexual violence.

Our efforts in prevention and education are critical to our mission to promote a violence-free community. Through community support, we can continue our vital programs and services. We thank the El Dorado Community Foundation for their recent support in awarding LVF grant funding for our prevention education program in our schools. Whether by making a donation, volunteering, or learning more about violence and abuse, we can all choose to step in.

To learn the warning signs of sexual violence and how to talk to someone who has experienced sexual violence, visit https://liveviolencefree.org. I invite everyone in the community to get involved and support our mission by volunteering, donating, and educating yourselves and others. Together we can empower choices and inspire change.