Overview
Sexual Assault Awareness Month is an opportunity to listen to and honor survivors in our community. It is a time to show those who have been impacted by sexual violence that they are not alone. It is also an opportunity to learn more about what sexual violence in the digital age looks like. Whether you share the NYS Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline number, download and use our SAAM2024 social media and dating profile filters, visit the NYS Denim Day Exhibit, or wear teal on April 2 for Wear Teal Day or denim on April 24 for Denim Day, this page is designed to help you be an ally this April and all year long!
This Month's Highlights
Here are the highlights for this month’s activities:
All Month: Check out our social media accounts to see our “Dating in the Digital” campaign.
All Month: Download one or more of our SAAM2024 social media filter and put them on your profile pictures or your dating profile!
Every Thursday in April: Sexual Violence 101. Register today!
April 2: Wear teal to show your support for survivors on Wear Teal Day!
April 15: Check out our social media platforms for the premier of Voices: Sharing Survivor Stories
April 17: ASPIRE NY Panel hosted by SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College.
April 23-April 25: The New York State Denim Day Exhibit in the Empire State Plaza hosted in partnership with the NYS Office of General Services.
April 24: Show your support for survivors of sexual violence and wear denim!
April 24: New York State major landmarks lit up in teal
Dating in the Digital
This April, the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) is focusing on “Dating in the Digital”. We will be exploring the positives—healthy boundaries and understanding virtual consent—and the dangers—AI-generated DeepFakes and sextortion—that are involved in dating in the digital age. All our campaigns and materials will focus on these topics, and we encourage your organization to focus on them as well.
Show the digital world you support survivors and download one of our SAAM 2024 social filters! These filters can be overlaid on your profile pictures or dating profile. Choose from one of our 4 filters:
#DeepFakeDetective- Tell the world that you are a #DeepFakeDetective! Show that you are dedicated to learning more about deepfakes and how artificial intelligence (AI) can impact survivors of sexual and all gender-based violence. Become a #DeepFakeDetective, report anything you believe might be a deepfake and encourage others to do the same!
#ShineALightOnSextortion- Sextortion is when a perpetrator threatens to send out someone's private information or intimate photos unless they send money, more photos, or performs sexual favors. Show your friends and potential partners that you are dedicated to learning more about what sextortion is and who is at risk with the #ShineALightOnSextortion filter! Educate to stay safe!
#AskBeforeYouSend- Consent is key! Just because one person might be ok with receiving a sexually explicit pic or language, doesn’t mean everyone is. Use the #AskBeforeYouSend filter to let potential partners know that your boundaries are important, and they should check in with you before sending sexually explicit pics or messages!
#DigitalConsentMatters- The rules of consent should not change just because we’re online. Use the #DigitalConsentMatters filter to show your followers that you are a digital consent warrior! Show your dedication to asking for digital consent and encourage those around you to do the same.
#BeRealNotFake- Show your dedication to being authentically you online with the #BeRealNotFake filter! Use this filter to promise your followers that you will never try to convince them that you’re something you’re not and encourage them to do the same.
#DateSafe- Online dating can be complicated and a little scary! Use the #DateSafe filter to encourage everyone to be safe when they date in the real and digital worlds.
If you need help applying the filters to your photos follow these instructions.
SAAM 2024: Engaging Men & Boys
Active participation of men and boys is crucial in the effort to eliminate gender-based violence. Historically, men and boys have not always been prominent in this effort, but by engaging with them around this topic, men and boys can fulfill a crucial role in ending gender-based violence.
In April 2023, in partnership with Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, we launched the Pledge of Accountability Against Gender-Based Violence. Since its launch, hundreds of New Yorkers have signed the pledge digitally and in person! As a part of this year-long campaign, Start the Conversation: Engaging Men & Boys, this Pledge encourages men and boys to become better allies, recognize that many of the behaviors that contribute to gender-based violence are associated with negative masculine stereotypes, and speak up against gender-based violence in their lives. Read more about the Pledge and campaign here.
We are excited to continue our Engaging Men & Boys work in the years to come!
Go Teal!
April 2 is Wear Teal Day! To show support for survivors and help spread the message, wear teal, hang teal lights, and let others know why teal is so important on this day! Wear Teal and post your photo on social tagging us @NYSOPDV!
Wear Denim!
April 24 is Denim Day! On Denim Day, we encourage everyone to wear denim to support survivors? Want to know why we wear denim? Learn the complete history of Denim Day here! Wear Denim and post your photo on social tagging us @NYSOPDV!
Post on Social Media
Follow @NYSOPDV on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and engage with posts by sharing, liking, and commenting using the hashtags #SAAM2024, #StartTheConversation and #DenimDay. You can also post the social media graphics below and show the people who follow you that you’re an ally to survivors. When posting, always include information for the NYS Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline which can be reached 24/7 in most languages: Call 800.942.6909, Text 844.997.2121, or chat at opdv.ny.gov.
Download for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Download for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Download for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Download for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Download for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Buy an “End Domestic Violence” License Plate
You can show survivors you’re an ally by having the message on your car all year long! Created in partnership with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, the new design reflects the strength and resilience of survivors, and the commitment New York State makes to support them. Revenue from the plates will support NYS efforts to end gender-based violence through programming and public awareness.
License plates can be purchased at your local DMV office, on the web, and by mail through the DMV Custom Plates Unit. You can call the unit at 518.402.4838, Monday through Thursday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00p.m., or visit online at: https://dmv.ny.gov/plates/end-domestic-violence.
Know the Resources
Did you know that every county in New York State has a domestic violence program? They provide resources for teens as well!
Did you know that there are tons of resources available for victims and survivors from Orders of Protection and Address Confidentiality Programs to Financial Assistance and legal advocacy?
Talk to an advocate today to learn more about what’s available, and make sure to share this information with the survivors in your life.
Be an Ally All Year Long
Many people who experience sexual and gender-based violence don’t know who to turn to. Your willingness to help can be important to a victim in their safety planning efforts. Be ready to offer the kind of help that’s needed, while keeping yourself safe at the same time.
- Initiate a conversation in private and when you have enough time to talk at length, but if they want to.
- Let go of any expectations you have that there is a “quick fix”. Not doing anything may very well be the safest thing they can do at any given time.
- Challenge false attitudes and beliefs that you may have about domestic and gender-based violence.
- Believe victims and let them know that you do. If you know the person who has or is abusing them, it may be hard to believe they are capable of abuse but remember that abusers typically act differently in public than they do in private.
- Listen to what they tell you. Avoid judgments and giving advice. They will let you know what they need.
- Refer them to a service provider who can provide necessary medical attention, counseling or emotional support, safety planning, housing and discuss their options.
- Build on their strengths. Point out the ways in which they have developed ways to cope, solved problems, and showed courage and determination.
- Validate feelings. It is common for victims to have conflicting feelings- love and fear, guilt and anger, hope and sadness. Let them know these feelings are normal.
- Avoid victim-blaming. Tell the victim the abuse is not their fault.
- Take it seriously. If you are concerned about their safety, tell them you are concerned without judgment by simply saying, “Your situation sounds dangerous, and I’m concerned about your safety.”
- Offer help. Offer specific forms of help and information, such as providing childcare, driving them to appointments, or assisting with pets.
- Give them control. Abuse and assault take control away from victims. Support their decisions about who to tell, what steps to take, and what types of support they need. Additionally, asking before offering physical support such as hugs and being upfront about what support you can and cannot provide allows them to take control of their safety and next steps.
- Support and respect their decisions. Remember that there are risks with every decision a victim makes and there is no one way an individual must react to abuse or assault. If you really want to be helpful, be patient and respect their decisions, even if you don’t agree with them.
View OPDV’s Start the Conversation: New Yorkers Against Sexual Assault Toolkit