Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Photo courtesy of Suiren2022 / Wikimedia Commons
It is imperative to have Title IX offices and Sexual Assault Awareness Month on college campuses to spread awareness about resources available to victims and advocates.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), observed in April, raises awareness about sexual violence, educates on prevention, and supports survivors. Although 2025 marks the twenty-fourth anniversary of the official recognition of SAAM, its origins date back several decades.
According to nsvrc.org, “In the United States, movements for social change and equality began to gain traction in the 1940s and '50s with the civil rights era. Although open discussion of the realities of sexual assault and domestic violence was limited at this time, activists for equal rights began to challenge the status quo.”
During this period, efforts to spread awareness about both race and gender violence were led by Black women, such as Rosa Parks. The framework of violence around race and gender would later be defined as intersectionality by Kimberlé Crenshaw.
Intersectionality, rooted in critical race theory, examines how various forms of oppression, such as white supremacy, transphobia, and homophobia, are interconnected to marginalize and subjugate groups of individuals. As Crenshaw states, “It's not simply that there’s a race problem here, a gender problem here, and a class or LGBTQ problem there. Many times, that framework erases what happens to people who are subject to all of these things.”
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was passed in 1993, following demands from women— both survivors and advocates —for legislative action and funding. Before 2001, when the first SAAM was observed, advocates had been holding “events, marches, and observances related to sexual violence during the month of April, sometimes during a week-long ‘Sexual Assault Awareness Week,’” according to nsvrc.org.
When SAAM was first established, it focused on “raising visibility of the teal ribbon and the meaning behind it,” per nsvrc.org. As awareness grew, however, SAAM “incorporated prevention more heavily, focusing on areas such as communities, workplaces, and college campuses. These campaigns discussed ways that individuals and communities can stop sexual assault before it happens by changing behaviors and promoting respect,” according to nsvrc.org.
On Friday, Apr. 4, SUNY Geneseo held an event titled “What Were You Wearing?” —a Survivor Art Installation by the Title IX office in the Union Ballroom. The Geneseo website describes this installation as depicting “outfits that anonymous survivors wore when they experienced sexual violence and assault. This installation was created to raise awareness around the prevalence of sexual violence and show solidarity with survivors, reaffirming that survivors are never to blame for the abuse they experienced.”
Students, survivors, and advocates must receive the support they need in the month of April and for as long as they require. Fortunately, SUNY Geneseo has a Title IX office dedicated to assisting those who have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and harassment.
To stay informed about incidents of sexual violence that may occur on campus, there is the New York State Law Article 129-B, also known as the “Enough is Enough” law, which requires universities and colleges to submit annual data reports to the New York State Education Department concerning incidents of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking.
While it may be intimidating or nerve-wracking to report any type of sexual assault or harassment, Title IX is there to help and seek justice for the victims involved. These laws and acts have been established to obtain justice and to reduce the number of individuals who become victims of sexual violence.
The Title IX office has a page on the Geneseo website where individuals can file an incident report or contact the Title IX office via email, phone, or text.
SUNY institutions are fortunate to have Sexual Violence Prevention and Awareness Surveys (SVP) that are required to gather information about sexual and interpersonal violence on campus. If individuals are willing to take the survey, it can be found via email. None of the information provided will be linked to personal identities, and all responses are confidential.
As noted in the SVP email, some questions may be uncomfortable for certain individuals, as the language may be explicit. Completing the survey could help ensure a safer environment for all students and faculty, keeping Geneseo a safe campus.