When we speak on language access, many people automatically assume there must be a non-English language involved. This is incorrect. For English speakers, the literacy rate for adults across the U.S. averages 88%. This means there is a larger population of people who are unable to access the key takeaways from vital content like safety instructions, resource lists, and shelter applications.
There are more than 350 languages spoken in the United States other than English, spoken by one in five Americans. 75% of all English speakers in the world are non-native speakers. And yet, despite how common non-English and English as a Second Language (ESL) speakers are and the foundation of the United States as an immigrant nation, significant discrimination exists and pervades.
Language is not just words- it’s also culture. Concerns of access don’t encompass linguistic understanding only, but must also include awareness of the social norms within a community that may create unique issues or barriers. When we assume that all groups of people experience and heal from harm in the same way, it not only excludes specific demographics of people but also affirms racist ideas that white, western, mainstream culture are universal.
According to the U.S. Census, over 22 million people living in the United States speak a language other than English at home.
This brief provides information on how Rape Prevention and Education funded programs connect the dots between health equity and anti-oppression work.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released a new report, The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2016/2017 Report on Victimization by Sexual Identity.
This guide draws from research, reporting, and the lived experiences of survivors to explore the connections between sexual violence and disasters, the inequities that shape them both, the lessons to be learned from the resilience of survivors and their communities, and opportunities for all of us to prevent sexual violence before, during, and after disasters.
A resource containing lessons learned from sexual assault services programs with comparatively high percentages of male survivors served with that funding stream. This resource is part of Working with Male Survivors of Sexual Violence.
This webinar from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) and Just Detention International (JDI) suggests how you can communicate about sexual violence as something that men experience, and about what services are available at your sexual program for men who are survivors.