JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
April is nationally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, or SAAPM, which is designed to raise public awareness about sexual assault and to educate communities on how to prevent sexual violence.
Despite our world being affected by a pandemic – which has led to individuals having to practice social distancing or being quarantined – the most recent Department of Defense Fiscal Year Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military shows that reports have slightly increased by three percent.
It is important to have a positive social support system amid a pandemic. Studies show when an individual has this, they are likely to reach out to someone for advocacy services and emotional support.
Positive support systems play a profound role in seeking formal services for someone who has experienced a sexual assault. It is vital that we understand how powerful the role we play in an individual’s life who has experienced an assault.
We can make a difference in an individual’s life and can encourage them to seek services, or discourage them, depending on how we respond to the traumatic event they experienced.
The role of a positive social support system has also been identified in research studies in helping to foster recovery, healing and resiliency after an individual has experienced a sexual assault.
Providing a positive social support system means not only being there for another individual for emotional support after experiencing a sexual assault, but also being able to provide resources when requested and needed.
Two valuable resources are the Joint Base San Antonio Sexual Assault Hotline at 210-808-7272, as well as the DOD Safe Helpline at 1-877-995-5247. People can also live chat with the DOD Safe Helpline at safehelpline.org.
Both programs provide support, resources and crisis prevention for members of our military community who have experienced sexual assault. These resources are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Their services are confidential, anonymous and secure.
During April, we will have some amazing events to bring awareness and education throughout JBSA, such as sexual assault training for leaders, bystander intervention training, a poetry slam for JBSA military students and trainees, a virtual 5K/10K fun run/ walk, an improv comedy resiliency workshop, as well as a survivor testimony.
To ensure that you will not miss these amazing events, make sure to stay tuned for the announcements. There is no better time than now to learn more about how to help one another on the topic of sexual assault. We can help one another, so let’s learn together this SAAPM and make a difference in the lives of those within our local military community on JBSA.