Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), an annual campaign commemorated each year in April, aims to raise the public’s consciousness of sexual assault, provide survivors with resources and support channels, and educate individuals on preventative measures.

Please see below for a variety of local & federal resources related to Sexual Assault Awareness Month, including support channels, hotlines, shelter intake forms, referral forms, and more.

If you are someone else has concerns about sexual assault or domestic violence, please contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network at 1-800-656-4673 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence
National Sexual Violence Resource Center

“Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence (The Alliance) is a statewide alliance of individual sexual assault crisis programs. The Alliance works to end sexual violence through victim assistance, community education, and public policy advocacy.”

“The mission of Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence is to create communities free of sexual violence and to provide culturally affirming, trauma-informed advocacy, prevention, and intervention services centered on the voices of survivors. The Alliance envisions and hopes to create a world in which everyone believes sexual violence is a preventable problem and actively plays a role in ending it.”

“In carrying out our mission and pursuing our vision, The Alliance is guided by the following core values: victim-centered decision-making, empowerment, compassion and empathy, accessibility and choice, diversity and inclusion, intersectionality, dignity and respect, safety and confidentiality, wellness and self-care, integrity and accountability, collaboration and partnership, and community-building and engagement.”

Housing Domestic Violence Survivors
Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness

“Domestic Violence survivors are a special population in housing services and face many distinct and challenging circumstances related to confidentiality and safety. Many domestic violence survivors fall into homelessness as a result of their situation or associated issues, however, their specific confidentiality needs can be a barrier to gaining access to housing services. The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, the Department of Housing, and the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence have collaborated to create a pathway to overcoming these barriers.”

Available resources include the universal shelter intake form, guides to processing referrals, various additional resource guides, and much more.

National Resources for Sexual Assault Survivors and their Loved Ones
RAINN

Various resources and references, including the National Sexual Assault Hotline, National Sexual Violence Resource Center, and National Organization for Victim Assistance. In addition, RAINN offers a variety of targeted resources, including for Black survivors, Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander survivors, immigrant survivors, and college students.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Connecticut Alliance To End Sexual Violence

“April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, otherwise known as SAAM. During this month, people across the United States raised awareness about sexual violence, how to prevent it, and how to support those who are affected by it. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center chooses a campaign theme each year as a guideline for discussions and activities to focus on. This year’s focus is on asking for consent.”

The Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual offers various support groups, victim compensation, and rights for those impacted by domestic abuse. Additional resources include health provider toolkits, LGBTQ resources, and prerecorded webinars and presentations.

Sexual Violence Prevention Program
Connecticut State Department of Public Health

 “The Sexual Violence Prevention Program, with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), partners with Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence to provide primary prevention, education, and training to health care providers, schools and universities, law enforcement, social services providers, and the community regarding primary prevention of sexual violence.”

“The program aims to prevent sexual violence in Connecticut by increasing individual pro-social knowledge and attitudes, communication skills for respectful intimate and peer relationships, organizational and community capacity for prevention, and societal norms that do not tolerate gender-based sexual violence or other forms of inequalities. This program builds the capacity of Connecticut’s 9 rape crisis centers to provide direct services for rape and other sexual assault victims and their families such as crisis intervention, individual counseling, free and confidential 24-hour hotlines, including local rape crisis centers, and transportation as necessary.”