Engaging Communities In Sexual Violence Prevention

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Engaging Communities inSexual Violence PreventionA Guidebook for Individuals and OrganizationsEngaging in Collaborative Prevention Workby Morgan J Curtis, LMSWA publication of the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault

Table of Contents5An Introduction to the Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence10The Importance of Engaging Communities in Primary Prevention11Identifying Potential Community Partners16Structure and Running of Community Workgroups22Identifying Community Specific Needs & Risk Factors25AppendixPopular Education for Sexual Violence PreventionCommunity Asset Mapping39Resources2

The following guidebook is meant to serve as a tool for communities and individuals who are beginning the process of planning for community-based primary prevention of sexual violence. There aremany meaningful ways to engage community members in this process, not all of which will be covered in this guidebook, so please feel encouraged to seek out other strategies.Special thanks to Annette Burrhus-Clay, Karen Rugaard Amacker, Rose Luna, and Tim Love ofTAASA, Linda Hunter of the Interpersonal Violence Prevention Collaborative, Peggy Helton at theOffice of the Attorney General, and Helen Eisert of LifeWorks for their input and editing.3

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An Introduction to the Primary Prevention of Sexual ViolenceAt the core, primary prevention is about ending sexual violence.“Primary prevention” is a term from the public health field. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)defines primary prevention of sexual violence as “population-based and/or environmental and system-levelstrategies, policies, and actions that prevent sexual violence from initially occurring. Such prevention effortswork to modify and/or entirely eliminate the events, conditions, situations, or exposure to influences (risk factors) that result in the initiation of sexual violence and associated injuries, disabilities, and deaths.”1If I had to describe primary prevention of sexual violence in one sentence, I would say, “Primary prevention is stopping sexual violence before it occurs by engaging in strategic, long-term, comprehensiveinitiatives that address the risk and protective factors related to perpetration, victimization, and bystander behaviors”. Primary prevention focuses not only on individuals, but also on the communityand societal factors that increase the risk for sexual assault and uses initiatives that focus on thegood of the whole rather than on individuals. To that end, primary prevention of sexual violence,as conceptualized by the CDC, utilizes the ecological model for identifying and addressing riskand protective factors.The Ecological Model2The ecological model is designed to take into account various theories of behavior and,in this case, the multitude of factors that contribute to sexual violence. The ecologicalmodel used by the CDC for sexual violence prevention combines biological, psychological, cultural and feminist models of the causes of sexual violence. It includesfour levels; individual, relationship, cultural, and societal. The visual representationof the model shows how the various levels interact with one another. The levels areinterdependent, so changes in one level can contribute to or reinforce changes in another level. Moreover, in order to make sustainable changes, an initiative would have tofocus on more than one level of the model. For example, if we only focus on changing anindividual’s beliefs about sexual violence, but they are still receiving messages that support sexual violence from their peers, community, and society, is the change likely to stick?“No mass disorder afflicting humankind has beeneliminated or brought under control by attempts attreating the affected individual.” George AlbeeRisk factors are factors that add to the risk for being a perpetrator or victim of sexual violence.Protective factors are factors that decrease the likelihood of becoming a victim or perpetrator ofsexual violence. It is important to note that these behaviors and factors are related to sexual violence(because they are likely to co-occur) but that no one factor is necessarily a direct cause of the violence. Research on protective factors is very limited at this point, so the examples given below focus onrisk factors for perpetration of sexual violence.“ there is no cause, only the accumulation of risk factors. No singlefactor does much to tell the story.” Jim GarbarinoCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2004). Sexual violence prevention: beginning the dialogue. Atlanta, GA: Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention. p.1.2 Ibid15

LEVELRISK FACTORSIndividual LevelThese are personal factors or characteristics that arerelated to sexually violent behavior, including biologicalfactors and personal history.Relationship/Interpersonal LevelIndividuals and their behaviors are influenced by theirinteractions with family, peers, and other important people in their lives.Drug/Alcohol UseHostility Toward WomenAcceptance of Sexual ViolenceSexually Aggressive PeersPhysically Violent Family LifeEmotionally Unsupportive FamilyCommunity LevelCommunity level factors also greatly influence a person’s beliefs and behaviors and can set a standard forhow people are supposed to behave. These influencesinclude one’s workplace, school, various governmententities, and neighborhood.General Tolerance of Sexual AssaultLack of Enforcement of PoliciesLack of Employment OpportunitiesSocietal LevelSocietal, in this sense, refers to the broader workings ofa culture, including norms about gender roles, religiousbeliefs, and the balance of power between lities/OppressionNorms about Masculinity & ViolenceNorms about Entitlement to SexIndividual

A Holistic Approach to Sexual ViolenceIn the sexual violence field, we have a tendency to treat sexual violence as though it occurs in a vacuum. We dealwith the consequences of sexual violence through crisis intervention and counseling and with the dynamics of sexual violence through risk reduction and awareness efforts. However, we rarely take (or have) the time to step back,remove sexual violence from the box, and examine the factors that happen before sexual violence occurs that makethat violence more likely to occur. The following diagram shows sexual violence as the symptom of another set ofproblems/issues. The box with the dotted lines depicts the way we have typically dealt with sexual assault. PrimaryPrevention means bringing in the piece that is still outside the box so that we can prevent sexual assault from occurring in the first place. Holistically addressing the issue of sexual assault would involve addressing all of the components (dynamics, consequences, and risk factors) through the appropriate strategies (risk reduction/awareness,and primary prevention).Primary Prevention FocusCurrent FocusCOOOLQUOTE YO!!!Addressed by Intervention/TherapyAddressed by PrimaryPrevention InitiativesConsequencesSexual ViolenceRisk Factors for Sexual ViolenceAlcohol/drug useViolent home lifeCommunity tolerance of sexualassault,Lack of employment opportunitiesSexismHomophobiaRape, sexual assault, childsexual abuse, sexual harassment, etcPTSDDepressionInterpersonal problemsAlcohol/drug useAddressed by Risk Reduction &Awareness EffortsDynamicsNon-stranger SAAlcohol/drug facilitatedAloneMale Perpetrator – Female Victim7

Primary Prevention vs. Risk ReductionRisk reduction programs focus on helping individuals gain skills to reduce their risk for being victims of sexual violence and changing behaviors that might put them at risk. These programs focus on the dynamics of sexual assault(e.g., the methods of slipping someone a drug to facilitate a sexual assault) so that individuals can use that knowledge to try to keep themselves safe.Examples of these programs: Self-defense Watch your drink campaigns WHO CARES Yellow Dyno Good Touch/Bad Touch Internet Safety Classes Rape whistles Recognizing perpetratorsPrimary prevention helps thecommunity take ownershipof the problem of sexual violence and seeks to create asafe, healthier community bychange the conditions lead tosexual violenceWhy isn’t this primary prevention?Although risk reduction programs have some benefitfor helping increase an individual’s safety in certain situations, these programs are not primary prevention. First ofall, they are not focused on addressing the root causes or the risk factors of sexual violence; they are focused onthe dynamics of sexual violence. They make the potential victim responsible for their own safety without making thecommunity responsible for changing the factors that lead to sexual violence and without helping potential perpetrators change. For example, if a person has been exposed to a program focused on risk reduction for drug facilitatedsexual assaults, they might know to watch their drink, not accept open drinks or drinks from strangers, and keep aneye on their friends. These tactics may help reduce the likelihood that someone at the party can slip a drug intotheir drink and sexually assault them; however, a person who is looking to commit a drug facilitated sexual assaultthat night would be likely to target someone else. The probability of any sexual assault being committed has notnecessarily changed. Risk reduction is focused on the individual and on benefiting one individual, whereas primaryprevention is population-based (i.e., it focuses on “benefits for the largest group possible”3). In theory, using theabove example, successful primary prevention would result in fewer individuals seeking to commit a drug-facilitatedsexual assault.Some Key Components of Primary PreventionStrategicPrimary prevention must be deliberate. Successful initiatives will address sexual violence based on how sexualviolence is manifested in a given community and will use data, provider knowledge, community knowledge, andtheory to guide the design and implementation of strategies. This means moving beyond just doing education orawareness programs wherever someone will let us in the door and being more strategic in both target audience andcontent of our initiatives. Moreover, it means moving beyond the traditional prevention education programs and intostrategies that are aimed at social and cultural change and skill building to address given risk factors and rootcauses for sexual violence.Population-BasedPrimary prevention initiatives should focus on the good of the whole rather than on the good of an individual. Thismeans that strategies are designed to maximize impact for the largest portion of the population, rather than attempting to make changes individual by individual.3 CDC(2004). p. 2.8

Comprehensive & Long-TermRisk factors for sexual violence occur at the individual, relationship, community, and societal level. Each level isimpacted by the other three levels; effective primary prevention initiatives address risk factors at multiple levels inorder to reinforce changes at each other level. That is, efforts need to focus on changing behaviors and dynamics inrelationships, while also changing the community and societal factors that influence those behaviors and relationship dynamics. Primary prevention initiatives focus both on behavior and on context (on the factors that influencethat behavior). Prevention of sexual violence cannot happen overnight It also can’t happen in a one hour presentation to a student or community group. Changing attitudes, behaviors, and norms requires repeated exposure toinformation and practice at skill building, in addition to support from various other levels. It is important to understand that our strategies must aim at inducing and supporting change in the long run and not just hope tochange minds in one hour. Utilizing the ecological model to address multiple levels of influence means thatthe message will be reinforced. Engaging other community members and organizations in this work has asimilar impact.Focusing on Root Causes and Contributing FactorsGenerally, work that is related to sexual violence addresses either the consequences (PTSD, depression, etc) or the dynamics of sexual violence (e.g., women as victims, use of alcohol or drugs)without actually addressing the outside factors that make sexual assault more likely to occur inthe first place. This view puts sexual assault in a vacuum, whereas primary prevention effortsattempt to step back and put sexual violence in context; primary prevention sees sexual violence as a symptom of other problems, not just a problem in itself. It’s important to point outthat root causes and contributing factors are different from situational factors or dynamics“It is unreasonable to exof sexual violence. A situational factor is something that might be associated with a spepect that people willcific sexual assault and probably includes specific behaviors of the victim or perpetratorchange their behavior easand the circumstances surrounding the incident. For example, if a woman has beenily when so many forces indrinking with a man she knows and he sexually assaults her, the fact that they arethe social, cultural, andalone is a situational factor that increased the likelihood of the assault occurring, asphysical environment conis the fact that she has been drinking and is therefore more vulnerable. However,spire against suchpeople being alone and women drinking are not root causes of sexual violence. Conchange.” From the Institute of Medicinetributing factors include conditions that generally make sexual assault more likely to ocreport Promoting Health: Intervencur but are not theorized to be direct causes of sexual assault, such as abusive familytion Strategies from Social andenvironments, objectification of women, various oppressions (e.g., sexism, homophobia)Behavioral Researchand social norms about men, violence, and masculinity.Based in Community MobilizationSexual violence is everyone’s issue; everyone is impacted by it in some way. Community mobilization focuses on giving ownership of the issue and its solutions to the community. Sexual violenceprevention then becomes the responsibility of the entire community and not just of advocates andother staff of rape crisis centers. Mobilizing communities to respond to sexual violence and its risk factors ensures that initiatives are appropriate for a community and is also more likely to instill lastingchange at all levels. Community members are seen as resources in this process and as having their ownskills and knowledge to contribute to ending sexual violence.9

The Importance of Engaging Communities inPrimary Prevention of Sexual ViolenceShifting the onus of responsibility for ending sexual assault from crisis center staff to the community at-large is akey component to primary prevention in the public health model. Why might that be? The most effective approachto solving problems in a community is by engaging the community to design a solution. Engaging the community inthis work has multiple benefits:Buy-in: When community members feel engaged in a process, know their voices are heard, and that their ideasare being incorporated into the planning of strategies, they will have greater buy-in to the process and willbe more invested in the success of the strategies.Sustainability: True community-based initiatives build leaders to do the work at-hand. This, combined with buyin, makes the initiative more sustainable. Individuals are given skills to continue the work and feel investedand encouraged to do so.Resource sharing: Community members bring vast knowledge, expertise, and resources to the table. Theseare not all formal resources (e.g., money, organizational leadership), since community members bring theirknowledge of how the community works, in addition to other skills and resources. Such resources are critical in designing prevention efforts that will be appropriate for (and therefore more successful in) a givencommunity. In the long run, engaging community members will save time and effort, even though it mayseem time consuming in the beginning.Necessity: It will take the entire community to address the complexity of the issue of sexual violence and itscauses. Many of the factors that contribute to this issue are ingrained in the fabric of the community’s culture; therefore it will take a united effort to make an overall impact on sexual violence.Share the LoadCommunity-based initiatives are not initiatives that involve the community carrying out yourpre-determined set of objectives for sexual violence prevention. Community partners musthave decision making capabilities within the coalition and must be given responsibilities.Ideally, you will all be equal members who share leadership and vision. This also meanssharing the work that the group engages in. Remember, we are encouraging communityownership of the issue of sexual violence prevention; we must let our communities engagein this work in ways that are meaningful and effective for them. What this also means isthat you and your agency must actively support your community partners and the work thatthey are doing. Since we are acknowledging that many issues are related to sexual violence and that a holistic approach is needed to end sexual violence and create healthycommunities, it is only appropriate that you would give back to the community partners thatare at the table. This means taking the time to attend meetings with them, attending and/orsupporting their events, and even, in some cases, incorporating some of their messagesinto the work you are already doing.10

Identifying Potential Community PartnersDefining CommunityThere are many different ways to conceptualize“community”. Community can describe a groupof people who live in a specific geographic location (e.g., a county, city, or even a zip code orneighborhood within a city). Additionally, a community can be a group of people with a sharedcharacteristic such as ethnicity or age. It isimportant to start any community –based process by defining what you mean by community.There are a variety of ways to identify potential community partners.One important point to keep in mind is that for primary preventioninitiatives, the partners will probably need to be more diverse thanthose who serve on the local SART or similar community collaborations. It is ideal to strive for a group that is representative ofthe community that will be the focus of the primary preventioninitiatives. “Representative” can mean a variety of things,and in actuality, a group cannot be completely representative of a population without involving every member ofthe population. However, there are steps that can be taken to ensure that a variety of voices areheard and that a diverse group is at the table. For example, you will want to consider issues of race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, education level, geography (where they live in the service area),in addition to areas of expertise or influence. Think beyond typical organizational leaders to findother individuals in the community who might be beneficial to your efforts. When you are tryingto identify potential community partners, in addition to considering the issue of diversity andrepresentation, think of the following questions: Who has a stake in violence prevention? Who is doing prevention work in other fields (e.g. substance abuse, teen preg-nancy)? Who has access to populations or resources that you’d like to access? Where are prevention efforts the most needed? Who wants to be involved? Who is doing work related to any of the root causes of sexual violence? Who is already supportive of your efforts and might be a good ally?“If you have come here tohelp me, you are wastingyour time. But if you havecome because your liberation is tied up with mine, thenlet us work together.” Lilla WatsonAnother good tool to help guide the identification of potential partners is community assetmapping. (This is a multi-use tool and therefore has its own section. Please see page 28.)Recruiting Community PartnersOnce you have identified potential community partners, how exactly do you get them to the table?There’s no universal answer to this, since different strategies or motivations are going to appeal todifferent people. Below are some tools that might be useful for creating interest and engaging people inthis work.Relying on Personal ConnectionPeople are often more likely to do something for someone they know and like than they are for someonethey’ve never met. This is a basic principle of our human nature. Therefore, it’s often helpful to use existing connections to make new connections, rather than making cold calls. One way to facilitate this is to do an informalassessment of your staff, volunteers, and board members. Find out what they are involved in outside of work, whatorganizations they belong to, etc. Most people are involved in some group setting outside of work, whether it’s achurch group, athletic activity, civic organization or other group. As mentioned above, many of the partners you11

bring to the table are likely to be different partners than you’ve engaged previously. For example, you might want toengage the local little league or a local men’s organization. You might even want to involve neighborhood groups. Ifyou can identify a connection between these groups and someone already connected to your organization, perhapsthey would be willing to make the initial call for you to explain the project and gauge interest. If nothing else, theyare likely to know a good contact within a given organization. This strategy might also help identify some agenciesor individuals you might not have previously considered that would be good partners to bring to the table.Additionally, keep in mind why you are approaching a specific individual. Did someone else in the community mention them as a leader? Or as having a specific skill or level of experience that would be an asset to the workgroupand to sexual violence prevention. Make sure the person knows why you are approaching him or her specifically.Framing the IssueSexual violence impacts everyone; however, it doesnot impact everyone in the same way. Not everyonewill respond to the same approach of explaining whyWe have to acknowledge a few things in relathey should be involved in prevention of sexual viotion to this point. First, one of the communitylence. For some, appealing to their common humanproblems that arguably plays into sexual vioity is enough; for others, it will require making perlence is the silence and shame placed on thesonal connections, hearing stories from survivors, orissue. Some individuals feel that framing theeven appealing to the bottom line (i.e., the actualissue of sexual violence as a healthy commumonetary costs of sexual violence). It is important tonity initiative only plays into and supports thatattend to the issue of framing when recruiting partsilence. Others feel that they need to meet theners to participate in your workgroup. For example,community where it’s at so that they can workwe know that a lot of people do not react well to theto challenge that silence without losing peopleterm “sexual assault”, either because it’s an uncomfrom the beginning. Find an approach and afortable topic or because all they hear is “sex”. Webalance that works for you and youralso know that there are still a lot of misconceptionscommunity.about sexual assault and prevention of sexual assault. For example, in our society most sexual assault “prevention” programs are really risk reduction efforts like self-defense or watch your drink campaigns. However, comprehensive primary prevention of sexual violence involves dealing with the root causes and risk factorsrelated to sexual violence, and therefore deals with a broader scope and impacts many other aspects of the community. Part of what you are doing is trying to create safer, healthier community for everyone – that is a natural byproduct of efforts that attempt to address issues such as family dynamics, relationships, poverty, racism, and/oralcohol and drug use (to name a few). RCCs in the country are engaging in these efforts with the specific goal ofending sexual violence, but certainly there are many other benefits. Framing your prevention initiatives in this waycan be especially helpful. No one is likely to come right out and tell you that they are pro-sexual assault, but it iseasy for many people to dismiss that as “not my issue.” It is much easier to make the case that building a healthy,safe community is everyone’s job.Use Mission/Vision StatementsOne way to help with the issue of framing is to create a working mission statement for your group (with the understanding that it probably will change when you have the group up and running). The process of coming up with themission statement will help you to clarify what it is you are seeking to do with this workgroup. Moreover, it’s a goodbasis for how you will talk about the focus and direction of the group when you are approaching potential community partners. For example, some groups at the 2007 TAASA Annual Conference came up with the following:1. An initiative for community-wide action to enhance the safety and health of (the men, women, and children of)(insert part of Texas).2. To engage in a united effort to strengthen community involvement. To insure a strong, healthy, safe environ12

ment by the elimination of sexual violence.3. To create and implement a community-wide plan to prevent sexual violence and to increase the health andsafety of our community.4. Engaging the community in contributing to the vision of a healthier, safer environment for all; through activeparticipation we endeavor to end all issues of sexual violence.5. To strengthen and promote community involvement using collaborations to lay a foundation for preventing andending sexual violence, now and in the future.Think also beyond the mission statement to elaborate a few talking points on what it means to you. For example:Mission statement: To engage in a united effort to strengthen community involvement; to insure astrong, healthy, safe environment by the elimination of sexual violence. Sexual violence is a community issue, and ending sexual violence requires a unified,community-driven effort. Sexual violence is a symptom of many other issues, and addressing these issues willresult in a safer, healthier community overall, in addition to reducing the rate of sexual violence.Even if you never actually read your mission statement to anyone, it’s a good process forthinking about the various ways you can frame this issue to appeal to a broad range of potential partners. It is also a good starting point for when your community group comestogether and needs to form a mission statement to guide its work.Open Invitations“The quality of the relationships you develop, and thecommitment of participants to the work you wantto do, are directly connected to the time andeffort you expend in creating those relationships.”4Even with some of the best connections and a lot of knowledge about your community, you may not be able to identify all of the individuals who would be appropriatefor or interested in your workgroup. Thus, it is possible to also do an open invitationto a first meeting or information session, just to gauge the general interest of the community. Engage in a dialogue with the attendees about community safety, sexual violence, primary prevention, who they consider to be community leaders, and the community in general (strengths and challenges). With this method, you may get a roomful of people or only a few people, regardless, they are people who you might not have encounteredotherwise. Take their feedback seriously and invite them to join the workgroup or continue giving input in other ways. (See page 15 for a sample announcement/invitation.)Looking Beyond Workgroup InvolvementOf course, not everyone you approach will be able to serve on a community workgroup, but don’t dismiss people as key allies just because they can’t or don’t want to make that particular commitment. Perhaps they are willing to help in other ways, like donating money, offering space for meetings, making connections to other potential partners, or certain kinds of technical assistance. If they have experience in workthat involves assessment, evaluation, or some other needed area, perhaps they would be willing to train yourworkgroup or review documents/plans and offer feedback. Keep in mind that everyone has a part to play andthat this is a key time to begin building those relationships.4 Stringer,G. (2003). Sexual violence prevention in rural communities. Olympia, WA: Washington Coalition of Sexual AssaultPrograms.13

Engage VolunteersEngaging in comprehensive primary prevention initiatives and the preceding planning process is a time consumingendeavor, and this time commitment is one of the main concerns expressed by crisis center staff members who aredoing this work. However, it’s important not to discount the resources at-hand that might help with prevention efforts. Volunteers have long been a key resource for serving victims of sexual assault and helping out at crisis centers in other ways. Volunteers can be a similarly critical component for primary prevention efforts. There are oftenfew non-direct service volunteer opportunities with crisis centers, yet there may be current volunteers who wouldlike to work on community-based prevention efforts. There are probably also other individuals in your communitywho would like to get involved with your organization but are intimidated by the thought of working the hotline. Thisis an excellent opportunity to expand opportunities for current or future volunteers. Working with volunteers is achance to help build community leaders in prevention work, brings in people with diverse skill sets, and also mightallow your center to broaden its reach. Think about opening t

In the sexual violence field, we have a tendency to treat sexual violence as though it occurs in a vacuum. We deal with the consequences of sexual violence through crisis intervention and counseling and with the dynamics of sex-ual violence through risk reduction and awareness efforts. However, we rarely take (or have) the time to step back,

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