SAAM Day of Action:

Short for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the SAAM Day of Action comes on the first Tuesday of every month of April to provide an opportunity for focusing on raising awareness concerning the prevention of sexual violence.

Twitter Hashtags:

#SAAMDayOfAction

Why SAAM Day of Action?

Every year in the month of April (the first Tuesday), Sexual Assault Awareness Month serves to raise awareness concerning the prevention of all forms of sexual violence

The day is recognized nationally in the United States, with many organizations joining forces in support of the objectives of the SAAM. Being a day of action, SAAM day equips all participants with the requisite tools and resources to facilitate the campaign.

The day was established with the set objective to stop or gunner efforts towards the prevention of sexual assault. The campaign is supported by the government as well as non-government organizations as inspired by the belief that sexual violence is indeed detrimental to society.

It is imperative to note that the SAAM Day is not for sexual assault against women alone, but for everyone. Men, women, girls, and boys are all potential victims of sexual assault or have been in the course of their lives. The day, therefore, is a campaign for the protection of everyone against this hideous crime.

The day focuses on stopping sexual assault, harassment, and abuse before they happen. One of the approaches or techniques employed by this campaign is education, whereby people are taught and enlightened concerning the concept of consent. They are also enabled to understand the importance of boundaries. The entire campaign is however pegged upon societal change, hence the need for raising awareness publicly.

At the moment, the stigma concerning sexual assault is very real, making the victims to feel afraid about coming out to report the perpetrators. Until this stigma is lifted, sexual assault will continue to go unpunished. By leveraging social media campaigns, public events, and other mass media activities, this day promotes value-adding resources targeted at helping society to change for the better. The day also serves to provide support and strength to anyone that has been a victim of sexual assault.

How we can observe/celebrat SAAM Day of Action

Some of the ways through which you can observe this day include:

• Visiting the victim rehabilitation center and tipping the attendants

Take this day to walk around the facilities that accommodate victims of sexual assault-related trauma, and use the opportunity to learn how you can help the course that campaigns for the prevention of sexual violence. The attendants that serve these victims, treat them and counsel them in readiness to get on back with their lives put in a lot of effort.

• Post on social media

You can also observe this day by posting on social media using the #NationalSAAM Day of Action hashtag and thereafter share this handle across multiple social media platforms that you use. Some of the best social media avenues that will spread this commemoration fast include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or Whatsapp status because of the wide audience that these platforms achieve.

• Sponsoring or donating to one of the organizations against sexual violence

You can also observe this day by offering to sponsor one of the campaigns or on one of their projects. Donation in this case involves donating funds every once in a while towards the care and support of this very noble course.

Interesting Facts about SAAM Day of Action

Among the most interesting facts about this day includes:

• In America, a person is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds.
• Every year in the month of April (the first Tuesday), this day is recognized in service to raise awareness concerning the prevention of all forms of sexual violence.
• 1 in 2 women, 1 in 4 men, and 1 in 2 transgender and gender non-conforming individuals have experienced contact sexual violence in their lifetime. (NISVS, 2018; U.S. Trans Survey, 2015).
  The day aims to stop sexual assault, harassment, and abuse before they happen through education.
• 2001 was the first official year of Sexual Assault Awareness Month honoring sexual assault victims, survivors, and their families. In this inaugural year, a teal-colored ribbon was selected as the preferred color and symbol for sexual assault awareness.

History of SAAM Day of Action

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center has promoted a day dedicated to ending sexual violence against women. This has been taking place since 2004.