Prevention Strategies
Sexual violence (SV) is a serious problem that can have lasting, harmful effects on victims and their family, friends, and communities. CDC’s goal is to stop SV from happening in the first place. The solutions are just as complex as the problem.
In order to prevent SV, we must understand and address risk and protective factors at the individual, relational, community, and societal levels.
CDC developed a resource, STOP SV: A Technical Package to Prevent Sexual Violence pdf icon[2.85MB, 48Pages,508] to help communities take advantage of the best available evidence to prevent sexual violence. This resource is available in English and Spanish pdf icon[17MB, 48 Pages, 508] and can impact individual behaviors and the relationship, family, school, community, and societal factors that influence the risk and protective factors for violence. Many of the strategies focus on reducing the likelihood that a person will engage in sexual violence. The strategies and their corresponding approaches are listed in the table below.
STOP SV |
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---|---|---|
Strategy | Approach | |
S | Promote Social Norms that Protect Against Violence |
|
T | Teach Skills to Prevent Sexual Violence |
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O | Provide Opportunities to Empower and Support Girls and Women |
|
P | Create Protective Environments |
|
SV | Support Victims/Survivors to Lessen Harms |
|
Example Programs
Below are some examples of programs described in the STOP SV technical package.
- Safe Datesexternal icon
Program designed to prevent the initiation of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse in adolescent dating relationships - Shifting Boundariesexternal icon
Program designed to reduce dating violence and sexual harassment among adolescents - Green Dot external icon
Bystander-based prevention program designed to reduce sexual and other forms of interpersonal violence perpetration and victimization - Second Step: Student Success Through Prevention (SS: SSTP)external icon
School-based program aimed at reducing bullying, peer victimization, and other problem behaviors - Coaching Boys Into Menexternal icon
Dating violence prevention program that uses the relationships between high school athletes and their coaches to change social norms and behaviors. - Bringing in the Bystanderexternal icon
Bringing in the Bystander is a bystander education and training program designed for male and female college students.