Origins of Sexual Assault Awareness Month
SAAM was nationally recognized for the first time in April
2001. The roots of SAAM date back to the
first documented Take Back the Night march that took place in Brussels, Belgium
during The International Tribunal on Crimes against Women. The Tribunal was
held March 4-8, 1976. As a result of this march a movement known as Reclaim The
Night was born. Reclaim The Night marches occurred throughout Europe,
Australia, and India. The most notable Reclaim The Night march occurred in
Leeds, England during November of 1977. This particular march grew out of the
crimes of the “Yorkshire Ripper”. The
terror of the “Yorkshire Ripper” began in 1975 and ended in 1981 with the
conviction of Peter Sutliff for the murders of thirteen women and brutal
beatings of seven others. While this movement was growing throughout Europe,
Take Back The Night was also being birthed in North America. The first
documented march related to crimes against women occurred in 1976 in New York
City. It wasn’t until a year later in
Pittsburgh, PA that the slogan “Take Bake The Night” was introduced. Over the last
30 years, Take Back The Night marches have been held across our country to
focus on eliminating sexual violence. Transitions has organized and/or
participated in several such marches in our community and on our university
campuses throughout the agency’s existence.
As efforts to coordinate activities intended to raise
awareness about violence against women continued on a nationwide scale, October
became designated as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. With this designation,
sexual assault advocates began looking for a specific time to focus attention
on sexual assault issues and concerns. In the late 1980’s, following a
nationwide poll of sexual assault coalitions, the National Coalition Against
Sexual Assault (NCASA) selected a week in April to serve as Sexual Assault
Awareness Week. Over the next decade, coordinated activities expanded to cover
the entire month of April. As a result of this expansion, April became
nationally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
During the month of April, keep watching your feed, as we
post educational articles related to sexual violence prevention and care. You will also see Transitions at community
health fairs promoting Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Submitted by Crystal S.
Submitted by Crystal S.
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