NSVRC Blogs

Getting on message: New resources to help advocates communicate about prevention  By Pamela Mejia and Daphne MarvelBerkeley Media Studies Group Sexual violence is upsetting to think about, so people often try to avoid talking about it. That means that one key fact often gets lost: sexual harassment, abuse, and assault don’t have to be just a fact of life. What will it take to help advocates, practitioners, and anyone who wants to play a role in prevention illustrate that prevention is possible, that it’s happening, and that everyone can take concrete steps to be part of it?   Five years

By Joanna Dragan, STTARS Program Supervisor at SPHS CARE Center When we were planning our sexual violence prevention strategies for the 2013-14 year with one of the counties in our service area, the population identified as most underserved and highly vulnerable to victimization was the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) community.  As a sexual violence services center, we had long recognized that more prevention work needed to include this population. While we had some applicable prevention resources, our staff felt out of their comfort zone implementing the

  by Glorina Stallworth, Rape Prevention and Education Program Manager at the NC Department of Health and Human Services and Molly Marcotte, Prevention and Evaluation Program Manager at the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault                 Partnerships are vital to effective prevention efforts. We connected with two of our colleagues in North Carolina to find out more about how they work together to prioritize diversity and inclusion in their state.  How have you prioritized diversity and inclusion in your state’s prevention efforts? What are some examples of how this

June is a very significant month for many people for many reasons. However, the Respect Together community stands in celebration with many others around the country and world as we celebrate Pride Month. We also recognize the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. The Stonewall Uprising was a riot started by Black and Latinx trans women, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. It’s important to honor these revolutionaries as they have, at times, been erased from the story of Stonewall.  We support all genders and races throughout the work that we do, and as the Respect Together library

Although several streets in capital cities of Latin America will display plenty of rainbow flags during June, numbers are not encouraging when it comes to violence faced by LGBTQ communities: Currently Brazil has the highest rates of violence with 445 registered homicides in 2017.  A few days ago I was reading a report published by the Organization of American States, which depicted with a great concern the high rates of physical and mental violence that thousands of members of the LGBTQ community face on a daily basis in Latin America due their sexual orientation and identity. It is

Aunque las calles de las capitales de la región se tornan de muchos colores durante el mes, las cifras no son nada alentadoras para las comunidades LGBTI: Brasil encabeza el listado de violencia con 445 asesinatos registrados en el 2017.  Hace un par de días leía un informe publicado este año por la Organización de Estados Americanos, en el que con gran preocupación se resaltaban los altos índices de violencia física y mental a la que miles de personas LGBTI están expuestas a diario en América Latina por el hecho de su orientación o identidad sexual. Aún más inquietante es la aparición

We’ve talked a lot about the link between the opioid epidemic and sexual abuse, assault, and harassment. In a series of blog posts, NSVRC explored the need for rape crisis centers to be part of a community response to opioid overdoses, how the prevention of opioid addiction and sexual violence are connected, and how race impacts the opioid epidemic. It felt important to also look at the existing research and explore the correlation between opioids and sexual violence. As you can see in our annotated bibliography, there is still very little research being done on the connections between

By Diana Mancera, Director of Membership and Programs at Jane Doe, Inc. Coming into the anti-violence field I was taught that sexual and domestic violence know no class, race, or education level. Yes, that’s true. But the systems and services set up for survivors do know class and race. Within the context of the #MeToo movement, we have learned that we won’t end gender-based violence or violence against women if we continue to ignore racism and oppressive practices. To root out gender-based violence, we need A MOVEMENT WITHIN A MOVEMENT. We need a movement against racism, biases, homophobia

Conversion therapy awareness is having a moment in pop culture; 2018 saw the release of two mainstream movies addressing the topic in The Miseducation of Cameron Post and Boy Erased, as well as the podcast UnErased: The History of Conversion Therapy in America. Advocates in the anti-sexual violence movement should take notice of this increased visibility, and consider the ways conversion therapy overlaps and intersects with issues of sexual violence.  For those not familiar with conversion therapy, it is an effort to change someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender

Learn how a Communications team at a national nonprofit operates by interning at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). The Communications team focuses on external communications for NSVRC including; email and social media marketing, online and physical content creation (including publications, blogs, resources, share graphics, infographics, etc.), and general messaging around sexual assault, harassment, and abuse. The Communications intern’s main role will be to assist with day-to-day content review and creation. The intern will also play a key role in the development of the