Electa Chapter No. 14, Prince Hall Order Eastern Star, NYC, is committed to fighting against sexual violence of any kind.  We are committed to protecting our most vulnerable communities and will continue to work to eradicate all forms of discrimination and violence, especially those committed against women.  Through our programs and initiatives, we will continue to educate and empower women to fight for their freedoms and their rights to equitable treatment and equal opportunities.

During the month of April, when the world commemorates Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we will be even more intentional in providing support, education and resources to help build a safer world for women, children and men who have been the victim of sexual assault. Below are some resources that we hope you find useful. Contact us via our Contact Form for additional resources and referral.  

National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC):

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The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) is the leading nonprofit in providing information and tools to prevent and respond to sexual violence. NSVRC translates research and trends into best practices that help individuals, communities and service providers achieve real and lasting change. NSVRC also works with the media to promote informed reporting. Every April, NSVRC leads Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), a campaign to educate and engage the public in addressing this widespread issue. NSVRC is also one of the three founding organizations of RALIANCE, a national, collaborative initiative dedicated to ending sexual violence in one generation.

April 2024 marks the official 23rd anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  The theme of Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2024 is Our Voices Have Power. Together, We Can Build Safe and Respectful Communities." According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center this April's campaign "Building Connected Communities helps us reduce the likelihood of sexual abuse, assault, and harassment in our communities. Any space where people come together is a community, whether in neighborhoods, workplaces, campuses, organizations, or even online spaces."

National Sexual Assault Awareness Month: https://www.nsvrc.org/saam
National Sexual Violence Research Center:

https://www.nsvrc.org/

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
RAINN is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.
24/7 National Sexual Assault HOTLINE | FREE | CONFIDENTIAL
800.656.HOPE (4673)

National Denim Day: https://denimday.org/
 

The Denim Day story begins in Italy in 1992, when an 18-year-old girl was raped by the 45-year old driving instructor who was taking her to her very first driving lesson. He took her to an isolated road, pulled her out of the car, removed her jeans and forcefully raped her. She reports the rape and the perpetrator is arrested and prosecuted. He is then convicted of rape and sentenced to jail. Years later, he appealed the conviction claiming that they had consensual sex.

The Italian Supreme Court overturned the conviction and the perpetrator was released. A statement from the Court argued that because the victim was wearing very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was not rape but consensual sex. This became known throughout Italy as the “jeans alibi.” Enraged by the verdict, the women in the Italian Parliament launched a protest wearing jeans on the steps of the Supreme Court. This protest was picked up by international media which inspired the California Senate and Assembly to do the same on the steps of the Capitol in Sacramento. Patti Occhiuzzo Giggans, Executive Director of Peace Over Violence, saw this in the media and thought everyone should be wearing jeans to protest all of the myths about why women and girls are raped. Denim Day in LA was born. The first Denim Day in LA event was held in April of 1999, and has continued annually.
 

Since 1999, Peace Over Violence has run an inspiring and powerful opportunity to practice solidarity and support survivors by renewing our commitment to exposing harmful behaviors and attitudes surrounding sexual violence. Denim Day is a campaign on a Wednesday in April in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  Peace Over Violence developed the Denim Day campaign in response to this case in Italy and the activism surrounding it. Since then, what started as a local campaign to bring awareness to victim blaming and destructive myths that surround sexual violence has grown into a movement. As the longest running sexual violence prevention and education campaign in history, Denim Day asks community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion statement by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual violence.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE AND NEVER AN INVITATION TO RAPE.

 

HELPING SURVIVORS ADVOCACY CENTER

website:  www.helpingsurvivors.org

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The mission of the center is to assist anyone who has been victimized by sexual assault or abuse. Our website is a compilation of information around different instances of sexual violence. They offer resources to assist survivors and their families. They recently made a guide specific to domestic violence and sexual abuse which contains a lot of great info, including how to help someone who has experienced this type of abuse and warning signs to be aware of Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse -helpingsurvivors.org/domestic-violence-and-sexual-abuse/

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For more information and for assistance contact: 

Claire Willis Outreach Director | Helping Survivors

website:  www.helpingsurvivors.org

email:  cwillis@helpingsurvivors.org

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Disclaimer: All data and materials from link about the organizations posted on our site were provided from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) and DenimDay.org. Visit those organizations’ website for more resources.