Rape Prevention & Education

Beginning The Dialogue

Sexual violence is a significant public health problem in the United States. Estimates from the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS), cosponsored by the National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suggest that 302,091 women and 92,748 men are raped each year in the United States. The survey also estimates that 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men have been victims of a completed or attempted rape at some point in their lifetime. In approximately 8 out of 10 cases (83%), the victim knew the perpetrator.

In North Dakota, 966 primary victims and 450 secondary victims were served by 18 sexual assault crisis centers throughout the state in 2007. At least 66% of the adult assaults were raped, and at least 858 (89%) of the victims were female. Also, in at least 34% of all cases, the assailant was a friend/acquaintance/date of the victim. The years of hard work and dedication of those survivors, advocates, educators, and other professionals in North Dakota’s local programs, in their efforts to ensure crisis intervention, victim advocacy, and social/mental health services critical to the health and well-being of these victims of sexual violence fully deserve our acknowledgement.

Understanding the far-reaching impact of sexual violence and the importance of prevention, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994, which established CDC’s Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) Program. With yearly funding of nearly $44 million from the CDC, the RPE grant supports rape prevention and education programs in all fifty states. Currently in North Dakota, the NDCAWS office’s RPE program and thirteen local agencies are receiving RPE grant funding.

While RPE’s initial focus was on education and information to increase awareness of sexual violence, over the past several years — since CDC’s Injury Center became the administrator of the RPE program —this focus has shifted to one of primary prevention of sexual violence. The NDCAWS’ RPE program and local recipients of RPE funds are now placing their efforts and resources on working towards population-based and/or environmental and system-level strategies, policies, and actions that prevent sexual violence from initially occurring; an approach that takes place before sexual violence has occurred to prevent initial perpetration or victimization. Utilizing the public health model “Getting To Outcomes” step-by-step process, such prevention efforts are working to modify and/or entirely eliminate the events, conditions, situations, or exposure to influences (risk factors) that result in the initiation of sexual violence and associated injuries, disabilities, and deaths.

Additionally, RPE sexual violence prevention efforts are addressing perpetration, victimization, and bystander attitudes and behaviors, and seeking to identify and enhance protective factors that impede the initiation of sexual violence in at risk populations and in the communities. RPE grantees are using these prevention concepts and strategies as a foundation for planning, implementing, and evaluating activities conducted with RPE funds. Also, they are sharing and discussing primary prevention concepts and strategies with traditional and nontraditional partners, particularly those key stakeholders and community leaders who will also help build support for prevention activities. One of the newest RPE grantees is the First Nations Women’s Alliance, a collaboration between three tribal programs in North Dakota; Fort Berthold (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation,) Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and Spirit Lake Nation. This collaboration is an attempt to share resources in order to maximize efficiency and demonstrate consistency among the tribal areas in regard to sexual violence planning efforts.

Sexual violence is a complex and multifaceted issue requiring a broad-based, multisystem response from a wide array of individuals, groups, and agencies. Because sexual violence affects all sectors of our ND communities, many groups and agencies are engaged in prevention efforts. Looking at the allocation of current resources and identifying gaps, RPE programs are looking for ways to partner with other groups and agencies to make limited resources go further, especially among those groups and organizations that represent and include members of underserved populations. In doing so, our state will be able to develop a broader, more comprehensive sexual violence primary prevention initiative, to ensure that the greatest number of people benefit from the prevention of sexual violence.

LOCAL Programs funded in North Dakota:

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Suzanne Kramer-Brenna, Prevention Coordinator
North Dakota Council on Abused Women’s Services/Coalition Against Sexual Assault
418 East Rosser, # 320
Bismarck, ND 58501
888-255-6240/701-255-6240, ext. 17
[Email]