Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence and Assault
As we approach sexual assault awareness month in April, we are thinking about the criticality of supporting, believing, and centering survivors of sexual violence. That’s why, for this month, we created a compilation of useful resources and trainings focused on sexual violence and assault, including resources focused on sexual coercion, improving services for Native survivors, emergency contraception, AI and sexual abuse, and more. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re looking for more!
What is Sexual Coercion?
Love is respect
“If someone makes you feel obligated or forced to do something you don’t want to, you may be experiencing coercion. By definition, sexual coercion is ‘the act of using pressure, alcohol or drugs, or force to have sexual contact with someone against his or her will” and includes “persistent attempts to have sexual contact with someone who has already refused.’”
Strengthening Our Work with Native American Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence
Red Wind Consulting
February 2026
“This virtual training is intended for non-Native domestic violence and sexual assault service providers to strengthen their capacity to work more effectively and completely with Native American survivors. This virtual training will provide participants with an understanding of the prevalence of domestic violence and sexual assault looks within our Indigenous populations to gain an understanding of the challenges. This virtual training will discuss historical and multigenerational trauma and the importance of culture when responding to Native American survivors. Participants will also learn about intervention considerations that are unique to Native American survivors and provide ideas about how to build partnerships to strengthen work with Native American survivors.”
The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2023/2024 Sexual Violence Data Brief
Center for Disease Control
December 2025
Findings from the report show that 45.1% of women and 16.9% of men in the United States experience some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime.
AI Didn’t Invent Sexual Abuse — It Just Made It Easier
RAINN
January 2026
“These systems can be manipulated to groom victims, generate nonconsensual intimate images, or automate harassment at a scale that was previously impossible… They can impersonate trusted individuals, fabricate convincing personas, and operate continuously without meaningful human oversight… It is tech-enabled sexual abuse—and it’s accelerating faster than our ability to stop it.”
How We Can Prevent and Treat Sexual Violence that Targets Transgender and Gender-Expansive Incarcerated People
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
January 2025
NSVRC talks with Just Detention International about the ways sexual violence impacts transgender and gender-expansive people during incarceration. They discuss denial of identity, challenges faced by individuals detained in adult vs juvenile systems, sexual violence and harassment experienced in the system, stigma and discrimination, and more.
Bridging the Gaps: Needs Assessment to Strengthen Services for Survivors of Sexual Assault
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
January 2026
This webinar explains the survivor-centered study that was conducted and what was learned.
“The National Sexual Violence Resource Center was tasked with reaching out to the public to learn more about how they view and understand sexual assault services and resources available in the United States. This trauma-informed needs assessment surveyed 645 participants nationwide to identify emerging issues and promising practices in sexual assault response and prevention, training and support needs, and service demands for sexual assault survivors.”
View the webinar here and the full PDF report here
Emergency Contraception (EC): A Guide for Sexual and Domestic Violence Advocates
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
April 2024
This factsheet discusses what EC is, options available in the US, how EC pills work, effectiveness, safety and side effects, how advocates can help, and accessibility. “Emergency contraception (EC) provides a last chance to prevent an unintended pregnancy after unprotected sex and is an important option for survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Because reproductive coercion and sexual violence are so common, this fact sheet was created for anyone who works with survivors.”
Intimate relationships
Love is respect
This resource compilation talks about how sex can be an important part of a relationship, healthy communication and boundaries, warning signs of sexual abuse, and includes links to other helpful, relevant articles.
Looking for more resources around supporting survivors of sexual violence and assault?
Looking for more resources around supporting survivors of sexual violence and assault?
Check out compilations of resources from last year: “Serving Survivors During SAAM 2025 and Beyond”