NSVRC Blogs

For every issue of The Resource, we reach out to you, our partners and community members, to learn more about your work in the movement. We asked: How can organizations ensure that the needs of communities of color are at the center of sexual violence prevention and response? Hire people of color into leadership and decision-making positions within your organization. If you’re a non-profit, place these individuals on your board. If you’re designing programs or initiatives targeted to serve POCI [people of color and indigenous] communities, include them in the design process, not just at the

The Five Action Steps to Good Sexual Health: A new, practical roadmap for the public By Susan GilbertNational Coalition for Sexual Health Americans are eager to improve their sexual health, but they face many challenges to doing so, including valuing themselves, treating partners well, building positive relationships, and communicating openly about sex and sexual health, according to research conducted by the National Coalition for Sexual Health (NCSH). In response, the NCSH, which consists of over 100 leading health and medical organizations and experts, including NSVRC, launched the “Five

The cost of rape: Applying an economic burden estimate to advance prevention By Sarah DeGueDivision of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexual violence exacts a high toll on survivors, their loved ones—and, ultimately, on all of us. Although decades of research demonstrate the harmful, and costly, impacts of sexual violence on the physical, psychological, social, and economic well-being of

My first Facing Race conference was two years ago in Atlanta, GA just two days after the 2016 Presidential election. I wrote a blog about my experience attending this racial justice conference. Two years later, I was again at Facing Race, this time with far more of my colleagues in sexual violence prevention, including “Me Too” movement founder Tarana Burke, who gave Saturday’s keynote address. Burke addressed the 3,500 attendees in Detroit discussing the ways all our social justice movements have the opportunity to address sexual violence. The mirror she held up to the crowd admonished us to

Over the past several years, our partners at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released a series of technical packages addressing various violence types. These packages offer strategies for preventing sexual violence, intimate partner violence, youth violence, suicide, and child abuse and neglect based on the best available evidence.  NSVRC staff has utilized the sexual violence technical package, STOP SV, in our training and technical assistance work with practitioners who are working to address and prevent sexual violence in their communities and have found it

It has been over a year since the Harvey Weinstein allegations broke and brought attention to the #MeToo movement. It is amazing to see survivors sharing their stories but often marginalized folks, in particular trans people, are left out of the conversation. Tarana Burke, the creator of the #MeToo movement, has spoken on the erasure of marginalized peoples, including trans folks here: “…No matter how much I keep talking about power and privilege, they keep bringing it back to individuals. It would be very easy to get swept up and change directions and change the focus of this work, but that’

When someone is sexually assaulted, they may choose to go to the hospital and have a rape kit done. Oftentimes, it is a forensic nurse, a nurse who specializes in evidence collection, who will conduct this examination. In honor of Forensic Nurses Week, we checked in with forensic nurse Tammy Bimber, MSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, CEN, to learn more about the role of these nurses. Tammy shared with us what got her into the field, the day-to-day responsibilities of a forensic nurse, the rape kit evidence collection process, and more. Tammy has over 20 years of nursing experience, including 18 years

In times of disaster, even the most critical social services may be forced to close their doors to those who need them most. Rape crisis centers are local organizations that offer direct services to those impacted by sexual assault, their loved ones, and the surrounding community. They are one place that survivors of sexual assault can count on for support, but these safe havens aren't immune to structural and logistical problems that arise following natural disasters. In situations like this, survivors may find themselves struggling without the support system they've come to count on. Not to

In July, the NSVRC held an Ask a Preventionist! live event with partners, Beth Hamilton, Associate Director of Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence and Destie Hohman Sprague, Associate Director of Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault about how to put research into action for a state approach to K-12 sexual violence prevention policy.  If you missed the event you can watch the recording on our YouTube channel. Evaluating the effectiveness of policy can be challenging.  It requires strong partnerships and lots of planning. The National Center for Injury Control and

Throughout the Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated in the United States, we want to give special recognition to the feminist movements that have fought for the rights of Latin American and Hispanic women. Being a woman in a Latin American and Hispanic country is not quite easy: gender gap, lack of opportunities, psychological, physical and verbal aggressions, and violence because of being a woman are extremely worrisome.   Therefore, this post is dedicated to extol the value of those women who, with their intense struggle, contribute to defeating this inequity that still persists in