April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), a month dedicated to raising awareness about sexual violence and increasing the public's understanding about sexual violence in our society. It also provides opportunities for the community to be directly involved in supporting survivors, their families, and agencies that provide crisis intervention throughout the year.

Although we make a concerted effort to raise awareness throughout the year, we hold special events in April to highlight sexual violence as a major public health problem. Among the over 40 events being sponsored by the Center are a variety of self defense classes, expressive movement workshops for survivors, puppet shows for children, and art classes to encourage healing.

The Center collaborates with social service agencies across various issues and movements to educate the public about the far-reaching effects of sexual assault on the community.

A Brief History

Protests against sexual violence began in the 1970s in England with the first Take Back the Night marches. Such women-led protests emerged as a response to the numerous attacks on women as they walked the streets at night. Consequently, a movement was created that eventually extended to the United States. In 1978, the first Take Back the Night events were held in New York and San Francisco.

In the early 1980s, October was set aside as the month to focus on violence against women issues. Over time, it became the month for domestic violence awareness activities. However, by the late 1980s sexual assault advocates believed that sexual assault was often overlooked when connected to domestic violence. The National Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NCASA) informally polled state sexual assault coalitions to determine when to have a national Sexual Assault Awareness Week. A week in April was selected. In due course, advocates began coordinating activities throughout the month of April on a regular basis and promoting the idea of a nationally recognized month.

In 2000 and 2001, the Resource Sharing Project (RSP) and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) polled state, territory, and tribal coalitions and found the month of April was preferred. Thus, Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) was first observed nationally in April 2001.