What is sexual assault?

Sexual violence that includes unwanted sexual attitudes, touch or actions such as sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment, molestation, child sexual abuse, incest. It differs from domestic violence or intimate partner violence which takes place within an intimate relationship such as marriage, domestic partnership, dating relationship, former relationship.

What is domestic violence?

Domestic violence or intimate partner violence that takes place within an intimate relationship such as marriage, domestic partnership, dating relationship, former relationship.

What is trauma informed?

Becoming “trauma-informed” means recognizing that people often have many different types of trauma in their lives. People who have been traumatized need support and understanding from those around them. Often, trauma survivors can be re-traumatized by well-meaning caregivers and community service providers. Understanding the impact of trauma is an important first step in becoming a compassionate and supportive community.

What is community based?

Community based approach to ending and responding to interpersonal violence by breaking isolation, & creating solutions to violence, from those who are most affected by violence – survivors and victims of violence, friends, family and community. 

A community based approach is a facilitated model. It requires for someone (or rotating someones) in our communities/ECC-staff to act as a facilitator/anchor/guide to the process of intervention. We are not the experts. We are there to help people find their own expertise within a situation that is often filled with enough confusion and strong emotions to make it difficult for one to do on one’s own.

What is community accountability?

Community accountability is a process in which a community – a group of friends, a family, a church, a workplace, an apartment complex, a neighborhood, etc – work together to ensure cultural relevance and responsiveness towards safety, shifting power, collective action, respecting cultural differences and sustainability.

What do I do if I’ve been sexually assaulted?

• Call the police. Although the legal system can be (scary) racist, ableist, classist, violent towards our communities etc. if you feel that the police could help in your situation, don’t hesitate to use them.

• Find a safe place to stay (a friend’s, coworker’s or family member’s, domestic violence shelter, motel). If you need to get out, but can’t find a place to stay, hospitals are often open 24 hours.

• Change your routines where possible so it’s harder to find you – i.e., your work schedule, where and when you go grocery shopping, do laundry, have medical/therapy appointments, etc. If you can’t change routines, see if someone can go with you so that you’re not alone if you run into your abuser.

• Get support. Trust your instincts about who you can rely on to keep your whereabouts and activities confidential. It may be helpful to emphasize the importance of confidentiality to those in your support system.

• Become familiar with safe places. Learn more about safe places near you such as a local domestic violence shelter or a family member’s house. Learn the routes and commit them to memory. Find out more about sexual assault service providers in your area that can offer support.

• Create a code word. It might be a code between you and your children that means “get out,” or with your support network that means “I need help.”

• Keep computer safety in mind. If you think someone might be monitoring your computer use, consider regularly clearing your cache, history, and cookies. You could also use a different computer at a friend’s house or a public library.

• Lean on a support network. Having someone you can reach out to for support can be an important part of staying safe and recovering. Find someone you trust who could respond to a crisis if you needed their help.

• Prepare an excuse. Create several plausible reasons for leaving the house at different times or for existing situations that might become dangerous. Have these on hand in case you need to get away quickly.

• Stay safe at home. If the person hurting you is in your home, you can take steps to feel safer. Try hanging bells or a noise maker on your door to scare the person hurting you away, or sleep in public spaces like the living room. If possible, keep the doors inside your house locked or put something heavy in front of them. If you’re protecting yourself from someone who does not live with you, keep all the doors locked when you’re not using them, and install an outside lighting system with motion detectors. Change the locks if possible.