SA Awareness Month & How To Help

Table of contents:

- introduction

- history of SA Awareness month

- what is SA

- how to help

- closing

Introduction:

Hello UTAU and welcome to another awareness post for the month of April! The Blazeteam and Royal Writers have worked together to create this post for you to ensure you get the best information possible. If the topics covered in this post trigger you, please feel free to skip this post, and we’ll see you in the next one as your heath is important and shouldn’t be ignored.

SA, unfortunately, is not a modern phenomenon and it dates back to the earliest recorded human history. In many ancient societies, including Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, and Rome, it wasnt only present but often normalized or overlooked, especially when committed against women, colored people, or conquered peoples. Legal systems in these societies typically treated SA as a property crime against a woman’s male guardian rather than a violation of the woman's autonomy. The motivations behind SA have varied, but they commonly involve exerting power, control, and dominance. Historically, patriarchal systems contributed to the prevalence of SA by placing women in subordinate social roles and enabling impunity for male perpetrators.

History of SA Awareness month:

Although awareness and legal frameworks have progressed significantly in modern times especially in the 20th and 21st centuries, SA remains a critical global issue. Movements like #MeToo have brought more visibility to the widespread nature of the problem and continue to challenge long-standing structures of silence and injustice. There are also many more resources available to people than ever before as this issue is further brought to light and addressed by many people throughout media, protests, volunteer work, and much more.

What is SA?

This section of the post will gently explain what exactly SA is for those who don’t completely understand this complex subject. If you may find this triggering you may not want to read it.

SA is by definition “When someone either touches another person in a s3xual manner without consent or makes another person touch them in a s3xual manner without consent.” This doesn't just have to be physical force either, pressuring someone into an act (whether with aggression, guilt trips or something else) would fall under coercing them and coercion is not consent. Consent is incredibly important in any sort of relationship or s3xual act and if it is disregarded the act may then become SA. Nobody is entitled to someone else’s body and forced consent is not consent. Forced action is not consented action.

Here’s a helpful video explaining consent in a metaphor: https://youtu.be/fGoWLWS4-kU?si=rH_XiOvFeyCkxn96

How To Get Help?

This section contains resources like groups, info websites and crisis lines for those who need help or

UK

England and Wales 24/7 SA Number (0808 500 2222), Scotland SA Crisis Helpline 5PM - 11:59PM (08088 010302) Northern Ireland Domestic and SA Helpline 24/7 Hours (0808 802 1414)

UK Group - https://thesurvivorstrust.org/-in-your-area/

England and Wales SA Crisis - https://rapecrisis.org.uk/

USA

National SA Hotline:Confidential 24/7 : online.rainn.org Their hotline - (800 656 4673)

Rainn has tons of stuff for people in the US to help victims and help people victims

Rainn - https://rainn.org/resources

Closing

With this awareness post coming to a close, we want to tell you something that is one of the most important facts of this post: you’re not alone. Unfortunately, SA is something that many have experienced, so this post may feel heavy or resonate a little too much with many of you. We see you, we hear you, and something like this will never EVER be your fault. Your feelings will always be valid no matter what, and we find it very important that everyone here understands that. We love you, and if you ever need any help, please be sure to professional help using any of the links above to ensure you receive the proper care and you need. There will never be any shame for asking for help or , no matter who you are. Always that.

Credits

Written by Max

Edited by Arrow

Cover by Pamela

Art by RainbowSans

Sites used: Rainn, JSTOR “S3xual History Evidence in cases of s3xual a$$ault: A critical reevaluation”