A Health Equity Approach to Preventing Sexual Violence
Sexual harassment, abuse, and assault can have short- and long-term physical, emotional, and psychological effects on a person’s well-being and impact an entire community, from the culture and connections between people to the economic toll. Preventing sexual violence means we all must address deep-rooted abuses of power that contribute to inequities in health, safety, and well-being.
A health equity approach to preventing sexual violence means that we need to both understand and address the factors that contribute to violence and safety and factors that expose some communities — especially communities that have been historically oppressed — to higher rates of sexual violence. This publication from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and Prevention Institute offers insight into how preventionists can employ a health equity approach and spotlights several promising efforts around the U.S.
To truly prevent sexual violence, we must address abuses of power — from the interpersonal to the societal. This publication from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and Prevention Institute offers insight into how employ a health equity approach to sexual violence prevention by exploring the following themes:
- Elevating community leadership and resilience
- Creating spaces for healing in prevention efforts
- Facilitating internal organizational change
- Addressing underlying factors that contribute to violence and safety
- Partnering across fields and movements
A Heath Equity Approach to Preventing Sexual Violence can be downloaded from NSVRC’s website.
