News

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Graphic for Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) by the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center. The background has a textured off-white color with a teal ribbon on the left side, symbolizing SAAM. The NIWRC logo, featuring illustrated Indigenous women, is at the top. The text reads: 'April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month' in bold teal and purple letters, with 'We support survivors' in smaller purple text below. Floral line art is in the bottom right corner.

Sexual violence remains a crisis in Tribal communities, impacting Native women and relatives at alarmingly high rates. This Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC) emphasizes the urgent need to recognize and address this devastating reality. Native women are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual violence than other women in the U.S., and the majority of these assaults—at least 86%—are committed by non-Native perpetrators.

 

Throughout SAAM, NIWRC focuses on education, sharing critical resources, and elevating survivors' voices. By understanding prevention strategies, improving survivor support, and promoting healing pathways, we can collectively identify harmful patterns and protect future generations from trauma. Our message is clear: Sexual violence is not traditional— we support survivors.

 

How You Can Get Involved

  • Follow NIWRC on social media (@niwrc) to learn about the realities of sexual violence in Native communities and share resources to support survivors.

  • Visit our SAAM Awareness Page for critical data, advocacy tools, and ways to take action.

  • Engage with partners and allies working to address sexual violence.

  • Support grassroots advocacy—Native-led efforts are key to ending this crisis and ensuring justice for survivors.

 

Support is Here

If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual violence and needs support, help is available:

 

Visit our SAAM Awareness Page