Like so many things to be proud of in the US, the Trump Administration has betrayed the legacy of supporting survivors of sexual violence.
Nationwide, 81% of women and 43% of men reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime. And now, with the rise of new technology, survivors face new threats bringing new forms of violence: image-based abuse, non-consensual sharing of intimate content, and digital stalking. These are not theoretical harms – they are real, devastating, and growing. Since 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) – championed first by then-Senator Joe Biden and reauthorized with his continued support as President – has saved lives by recognizing sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking as national issues – and providing a coordinated federal response. It has made women and girls, boys and men, and all of us safer.
But the Trump Administration continues to undermine this progress with performative, harmful, and racist rhetoric.
Ending sexual assault prevention training in the US military does not make us safer – it puts them at risk and threatens our military readiness.
Shutting down honest, age-appropriate education in schools about consent doesn’t protect our kids – it makes them more vulnerable.
Attacking immigrant families – especially low-income families seeking safety and opportunity – doesn’t make this country stronger. A significant number of women seeking asylum in the US are survivors fleeing domestic and sexual violence. They are not threats. They are survivors looking for protection and deserve our compassion and support.
Framing sexual violence as something imported from abroad – something brought in by others – doesn’t help solve the problem, and is blatantly false. We know that the vast majority of sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim already knows. Blaming foreign cultures only distracts from the real issue and lets the administration off the hook.
The United States was once a global leader in the fight to end gender-based violence. Our government supported groundbreaking programs like Coaching Boys into Men, developed by Futures Without Violence and implemented in schools and communities around the world. Equimundo’s Manhood 2.0, adapted in nearly 40 countries, was supported through funding from USAID, the CDC, and others. Programs like Mentors in Violence Prevention have been replicated globally because they work. But with the withdrawal of US government funding, at home and abroad, women and girls are not safer. Survivors are not safer.
We stand with organizations like Together for Girls and the Brave Movement, the Sexual Violence Research Initiative, the Global Alliance for the Protection of Boys from Sexual Violence, A Call To Men, and countless others on the front lines of prevention and response. We stand with survivors.
We know why there is a National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, and we will continue to honor it – despite the Trump Administration’s attempts to distort its meaning.
