This week you can “consult experts and share ideas” about sexual assault prevention thanks to the #VetoViolence campaign.  But self-defense is absent.  Surprised? No.  Outraged? Yes.  And for good reason.  This program, cosponsored by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and PreventConnect, should know the research that shows how effective and empowering self-defense training can be.  Would it hurt to include self-defense in their “Facts About Sexual Assault”?

Facts About Sexual Assault:
Most rape victims know the perpetrator.
Rape can occur in relationships, including marriage.
False reports of rape are very rare.
Most rapes are not reported to police.
Few reported rapes result in arrests, prosecutions, or convictions.
Nobody deserves to be raped because of behavior or actions. It is not the victim’s fault.
Rape is not inevitable & can be prevented. ‪#‎VetoViolence‬

It’s also a fact that rape, even as it’s happening, does not need to be inevitable.  But you wouldn’t know it from the #VetoViolence campaign.  In fact, the video “1 Photo, 6 Words,” put out by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, compiled select photos that were posted with the hashtag #VetoViolence a few months ago. Our own photo with a self-defense message is (not surprisingly) missing.

Fighting back is an option and it’s an option more women consider once this option comes out of the closet and starts getting talked about and written into lists like the one above.  So, help us bring self-defense out of the closet and into the popular discourse of sexual assault prevention.  Send us a picture with 6 words that convey how or why self-defense is an important part of sexual assault prevention or vetoing violence. We promise to string it into a video with rousing instrumental music just like the CDC’s video! Pinky swear!  

You can send your picture to us via this blog site or simply post the picture to your own Facebook page using the hashtag #seejanefightback

Looking forward to seeing your 1 Picture, 6 Words #seejanefightback

xo