OVW Commemorates Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

In April, we marked the 23^rd annual observance of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. This year’s theme, “Building Connected Communities,” recognizes that the best way to prevent sexual assault and support survivors is by working together to create strong, connected communities that are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone.

We acknowledge the profound impact of sexual assault — physically, emotionally, and spiritually — and stand committed to addressing systemic barriers and supporting communities to ensure that survivors have access to safety, healing, and justice. At OVW, we recognize that fostering a “Coordinated Community Response” is only possible when many voices representing different agencies, organizations, and community partners are brought to the table. Furthermore, centering survivors' voices, lived realities, and leadership is at the heart of this work.   

Over the past nearly thirty years since the enactment of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and with each subsequent reauthorization, OVW has been able to expand and enhance our support for programs, ensuring that they are trauma-informed and survivor-centered. There has also been a paradigm shift in society with increased recognition of the harmful impact of sexual assault and sexual harassment and the need to prevent and address it wherever it occurs, whether in the home, at work, in educational institutions, in public places, or online. Despite the progress that has been made, much more remains to be done to ensure that victims and survivors have access to comprehensive support, that offenders are held accountable, and that communities are committed to prevention efforts.  

OVW is pleased to launch several new grant programs in 2024 to advance these goals.

We have released a solicitation for the Demonstration Program on Trauma Informed, Victim-Centered Training for Law Enforcement on Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking (Abby Honold) Program, which will provide training for law enforcement and prosecutors in improving their response to these cases. This grant program was established in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 (VAWA 2022) and was the result of advocacy by Abby Honold, a survivor of rape on a college campus who became a dedicated advocate. She sought to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims reporting these crimes, focusing on a survivor-centered and trauma-informed approach. This grant program will also focus on supporting jurisdictions to implement the 2022 update of the Justice Department’s guidance on Improving Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence by Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias.

This year, we are also launching the Enhancing Investigation and Prosecution of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Initiative.  This new grant program was created in VAWA 2022 to promote and evaluate effective policing and prosecution responses to gender-based violence and to encourage law enforcement agencies and prosecutors’ offices to expand and improve their ability to investigate and prosecute these crimes while holding offenders accountable and promoting agency trust within their communities.

I’m pleased to say that new grant programs established in VAWA 2022 also seek to address emerging issues, such as the increase in technology-facilitated gender-based violence. While the internet, social media, and mobile technology can offer survivors of sexual assault a platform for support and advocacy, unfortunately, technology can also be used to perpetrate harm and harassment. This includes unauthorized sharing of personal intimate images, the creation of deepfakes, cyberstalking, and online harassment. The digital footprint of online abuse or harassment can be virtually impossible to erase, leading to prolonged trauma. Moreover, the anonymity and reach of the digital world can embolden perpetrators, making it difficult to hold them accountable.

VAWA 2022 added a definition of technological abuse and established two new grant programs focused on addressing cybercrimes against individuals, including the non-consensual distribution of intimate images and cyberstalking. OVW released two new solicitations this year focused on addressing technological abuse: the Local Law Enforcement Grants for Enforcement of Cybercrimes Program, which will provide training and support to law enforcement to bolster the investigation of these crimes, and a solicitation to fund a National Resource Center on Cybercrimes Against Individuals to provide information, training, and technical assistance to communities across the nation to increase prevention efforts and support survivors of these crimes. Additionally, there’s another important protection established by VAWA’s 2022 reauthorization: If someone shares intimate photos or videos of someone else without their consent, the person whose intimate image was shared has the right to file a civil lawsuit against that person and obtain compensation. The Department has published a brochure to raise awareness of this new federal civil protection.

As OVW continues to launch new grant programs, we also continue to expand and strengthen existing VAWA grant programs focused on enhancing a Coordinated Community Response. The funding appropriated by Congress, which was increased to $713 million in FY2024, will enable these critical resources to have a significant impact on preventing and addressing sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and other forms of gender-based violence in communities across every state, territory, and on Tribal lands.

This month, we published the 2022 Biennial Report to Congress on the Effectiveness of Grant Funds under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). This report, based on the reports of all OVW grantees and subgrantees, summarizes VAWA-funded efforts across the country. It shows that advocates are helping millions of people in communities across the United States and U.S. territories, and we are grateful for the opportunity to tell Congress and the public about the significant impact of the services and support provided by our grantees. This report is a testament to the tenacity and ingenuity of people whose work is funded by VAWA, as well as the courage and leadership of survivors.

Here’s an example of what the data shows on how OVW grant programs are supporting survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking:

• Grantees and subgrantees reported providing more than four million victim services and answering over 1.2 million hotline calls.
• VAWA-funded professionals reported assisting survivors in obtaining over 340,000 protection orders.
• Over 1 million professionals were trained by grantees and subgrantees.
• Grantees/subgrantees reported training more than 30,000 Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners or Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners (SANE/SAFEs).
• Of all survivors served by grantees/subgrantees in the time covered by this report, an estimated one-quarter lived in rural areas, and culturally specific services program grantees served nearly 3,000 survivors every six months.
• Sexual Assault Services Formula Grant Program (SASP) subgrantees reported serving an annual average of over 47,000 survivors over 12 months, including 3,900 survivors younger than 13 years old and over 4,800 victims aged 13-18 years.

As we continue to support these efforts across the country, we also recognize that as the nation’s largest employer, the federal government has an important obligation to support employees impacted by sexual assault, intimate partner violence, or stalking, whether or not it occurs in the workplace, as well as to improve efforts to prevent and address sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in the workplace.

As a part of these efforts, on April 17th, in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, OVW co-hosted an event with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) entitled “Feds at the Forefront: Addressing Gender-Based Violence in the Federal World of Work,” with representatives from numerous federal agencies. OVW is committed to collaborating with federal agencies to prevent sexual harassment in employment settings and supporting projects that train managers and support employees to recognize and respond to these harms. These initiatives are vital to creating safer work environments and promoting a culture of respect, dignity, equity, and inclusion for all employees.

Additionally, on April 29, OVW co-hosted a webinar with the Educational Opportunities Section of DOJ’s Civil Rights Division regarding collegiate athletes experiencing sexual abuse and other forms of abuse. A panel discussion examined how the unique relationship between collegiate athletes and coaches/trainers may foster distressing power dynamics and identified indicators of grooming and abusive conduct. The panelists offered recommendations about how institutions of higher education can deter abuse and support athletes who report it. This informational webinar builds upon the Department’s litigation to address sexual harassment and abuse, such as the recent settlement that addressed sexual abuse of and discrimination against student-athletes by the former head coach of the swimming and diving team at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, requiring the university to pay a $4 million settlement and commit to systemic action.

By advancing a commitment to comprehensive approaches, OVW helps to ensure that advocacy and support for survivors extend to all areas of life, acknowledging that sexual violence can occur in various contexts and requires a multifaceted response.

As we conclude our observation of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, we encourage everyone to do what they can to raise awareness and support survivors throughout the year. Each story shared, every training conducted, and each policy improved upon contributes to a larger movement toward safety, healing, and justice. By speaking up—not just during April, but every day—we will build connected communities that promote safety and well-being for everyone.

OVW does not provide services directly to the general public. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Local resources are available on our website. Immediate and confidential support is available 24/7 through the National Sexual Assault Hotline by visiting rainn.org or calling 1-800-656-HOPE. Additional support is available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline by visiting thehotline.org, calling 1-800-799-7233 (TTY 1-800-787-3224), or texting “START” to 88788. You can also call the National Center for Victims of Crime hotline at 855-4-VICTIM (855-484-2846) or the Strong Hearts Native Helpline at 844-762-8483.