By: Elizabeth Meyer, Counseling Program Coordinator
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Greenlight Counseling is getting ready for a month of programming with our university partners. As most students remain remote, Greenlight will be celebrating SAAM online. We have events scheduled with 11 local colleges, with workshops on supporting survivors, healthy relationships, and consent.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month was first recognized nationally in 2001, and is a way for advocates, survivors, and policy makers to raise awareness of the issue and push for change. Nearly 1 in 5 women in the United States have experienced rape or attempted rape some time in their lives. Sexual assault remains a huge issue on campus, with 1 in 4 women and 1 in 14 men experience sexual assault during their college years. SAAM is a time to honor survivor experiences, provide support and education around sexual assault, and share information on prevention strategies.
We’ll also be following along with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) for their #30DaysofSAAM on social media. Their theme this year is building safe online spaces, something so important as the pandemic continues to impact in person interaction. There are a lot of ways to get involved in SAAM, including April 6th SAAM Day of Action, so make sure to wear teal and share on social media with #SAAM2021! April 28th is Denim Day, which was created in response to the Italian Supreme Court blaming a victim for her assault because she was wearing tight jeans. Denim Day is a way to stand in solidarity with survivors of sexual assault and push back on victim blaming. Make sure to follow us at @greenlightcounseling_il for all SAAM updates and information.
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