To help a friend who has been assaulted

     Anyone can be a victim of sexual violence--and with rates on campuses of 20-25% over the course of their college career, there's a good change it's someone you know. Friends are often 'first responders' when a victim discloses. Often, the reaction of the first person a survivor tells determines their willingness to make a report, seek medical attention, and commence their recovery process. You aren't going to have all the answers, or even know what to say, but the best thing is to believe the person, listen empathetically, don't blame them, be patient, and help them plan their next steps.

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• Center for Violence Prevention, College of St Scholastica  This site is meant to help students, faculty, and staff get a clearer understanding of critical issues related to college students such as sexual assault & harassment, alcohol use and violence,and care strategies. http://www.css.edu/Administration/Health-and-Well-Being/Violence-Prevention.html
  Tags: Best Practices  Alcohol Facilitation  Case Studies  Intimate Partner Violence  Campus   Consent 
• Concerned Persons Sexual Assault Response Guide  Your support can make a big difference to someone who has been sexually assaulted. Learn how to respond in an empathetic manner and take care of yourself. http://www.macalester.edu/sexualassault/pdfs/Concerned_Persons_Sexual_Assault_Response_Guide.pdf
  Tags: Reporting  Response 
• Culturally Competent Service Provision to LGBT Survivors  We have an ethical mandate to serve all survivors of sexual violence. Yet LGBT survivors have often been excluded from our work. http://new.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/AR_LGBTSexualViolence.pdf
  Tags: LGBTQ  Response 
• If He is Raped: A Guidebook for Parents, Partners, Spouses, and Friends  Rape can happen to anyone, including males. Everyone needs to know what to do and what not to do if a loved one, friend, or even a male stranger tells you he has been raped. http://www.justdetention.org/pdf/ifheisraped.pdf
  Tags: Masculinity  Response  Gender 
• Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault  MNCASA is designed to assist local programs in providing state of the art advocacy and prevention programming and to affect public perception and policy in relation to sexual assault. http://www.mncasa.org
  Tags: Coalition 
• Start by Believing  This is a public awareness campaign designed to change the way we respond to rape and sexual assault in our communities. When someone comes to you . . . what will your reaction be? http://www.startbybelieving.org/Default.aspx
  Tags: Media  Response  Campaign  Framing the Issue 

Campus Sexual Violence Prevention Portal

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For questions about this page, please contact the Injury and Violence Prevention program at:health.injuryprevention@state.mn.us

See also Health Promotion and Chronic Disease

Alcohol Facilitation Art and Theater Athletes Best Practices Bystander Intervention Campaign Campus Case Studies Coalition Community Mobilization Consent Curricula Engaging Men Environmental Change Family Framing the Issue Gender Institutional Responsibilities Intimate Partner Violence LGBTQ Laws, Policy and Legislation Masculinity Media Perpetration Prevention Public Health Rape Culture Rape Myths Rape and Sexual Violence Crisis Center Reporting Research Response Security Self-Defense Sexual Harassment Social Norms Change Students of Color Theory Toolkit Webinars