SAAM Day of Action is observed on the first Tuesday in April and is used as a day to raise awareness about sexual violence prevention. The acronym SAAM stands for Sexual Assault Awareness Month and is a day that’s observed as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Through various campaigns, the goal of this day is to stop abuse, harassment, and sexual assault before they happen, and to support victims of sexual assault.

The History of SAAM Day of Action

This day was first created as a campaign against sexual violence in 2004 by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, also known as the NSVRC. It’s a campaign that continues to this day and has become an important day in Sexual Assault Awareness Month to bring attention to the problem of sexual violence and to work towards eradicating it from society.

Facts About Sexual Violence

During the course of our research on this holiday, we came across some sobering facts about sexual violence in the United States. Below are the facts that we found.

• An American is sexually assaulted every 73 seconds.
• People between the ages of 12 and 34 are the most likely to be sexually assaulted.
• More than a third of all women and a quarter of all men have experienced sexual violence in some form.
• An estimated 80,000+ inmates suffer sexual violence while in prison or jail every year.
• Almost a quarter of transgender or gender nonconforming college students are sexually assaulted every year.
• Almost 20% of American women have reported an attempted or completed rape.
• Over 60,000 children are victims of sexual abuse each year.
• Over 18,000 military service members experience unwanted sexual contact.
• About 10% of rape victims are male.
• Approximately 13% of women who are raped attempt suicide.
• Sexual assault survivors are ten times more likely to use major drugs.
• American Indians 12 years old and older experience almost 6,000 assaults per year.
• Approximately 41% of sexual assaults against American Indians are committed by someone they don’t know.
• More than half of the sexual contact between staff members and prison inmates is non-consensual.
• Approximately 80% of rapes are committed by someone known to the victim.
• Approximately 37% of rape perpetrators referred to prosecutors have a prior felony conviction.
• Approximately 52% of perpetrators will post bail or be released from prison for some other reason while awaiting trial.
• Approximately 70% of released perpetrators awaiting trial will be arrested for committing another crime.

Observing SAAM Day of Action

People wishing to observe this day can do so in a number of different ways. They can take the time to educate themselves on the problem of sexual assault in the U.S. and worldwide and can learn about consent. They can also visit NSVRC.org for more advice on observing this day and helping other people realize what a problem sexual assault is in society.