Sexual violence is an epidemic in the United States. According to the CDC, sexual violence affects more than half of women, almost one in three men, and almost half of transgender individuals. Prevention efforts are at the core of the movement to end sexual violence. If we can prevent the harm before it happens, this is the true goal of the movement.
There are three categories of prevention: Primary Prevention, Secondary Prevention, and Tertiary Prevention. Primary Prevention is an approach that takes place before sexual violence has occurred to prevent the initial crime. Teaching consent education and healthy relationships is an example of this. Secondary Prevention is the immediate response to a crime of sexual violence to deal with the short-term consequences. This can look like police reporting on the scene of a crime, or hospital staff working with survivors in the emergency room. Tertiary Prevention is efforts to work on the long-term effects of sexual violence on a survivor. Counseling with a survivor to deal with the long-term effects of trauma is an example of this.
All these forms of prevention are necessary to keep survivors safe and help prevent future crimes of sexual violence, but our communities need to take a deeper look into how we are aiding in Primary Prevention efforts. Not only does this help communities be safer from future acts of violence, but it is actually cost effective to focus on Primary Prevention efforts. According to the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Violence, the cost of sexual violence against adult women in the US far exceeds the funds available for these crimes. Increasing funds and resources for Primary Prevention efforts saves communities and taxpayers money by preventing these crimes. Communities can get involved in Primary Prevention by partnering with resources like Safe Passage, taking a training, or simply spreading the word about prevention and speaking up if you see something.
Written by: Beth Ganion
