April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In Wyoming, one in every three women and one in every four men have experienced some sort of intimate partner violence in their lifetime, according to a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“A common myth we have is, ‘Oh, most assaults are committed by strangers.’ We look at the data and the data tells us that most people are going to be harmed by someone they know, whether that's a partner, a friend or an acquaintance,” said Jody Sanborn, the training and technical assistance director at the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (WCADVSA).
Intimate partner violence is a big umbrella term that covers a wide range of interactions: physical and sexual violence, stalking, and psychological aggression. While it can involve current or past spouses or partners, it can also include boyfriends and girlfriends, and casual romantic encounters.
WCADVSA is a statewide nonprofit that supports the network of local programs that work directly with survivors of violence. The organization holds trainings and shares technical assistance, and also works with other stakeholders around Wyoming to collaboratively support those efforts with a more holistic, trauma-informed approach.
“ Whether that's providing training through the sheriffs and chiefs of police or at the law enforcement academy, or working with the Wyoming Department of Health on prevention efforts, we're really taking that leadership role in helping to ensure that we're getting our reaches out into those different systems and infrastructures to help influence prevention and response,” said Sanborn.
That network of support and response is constantly learning and adapting in real-time, said WCADVSA Executive Director Linda Hawkins.
“ Unfortunately, we learn where the changes are needed a lot of times through really awful cases that come to news stations and communities,” she said. “Every time a case like that happens, the questions are always raised. ‘What could we have done differently? What could we do better?’”
Hawkins and Sanborn both emphasized that it’s everyone’s responsibility to help prevent violence and support healthier connections in their day-to-day lives, in order to make long-lasting change on a bigger, systemic level.
“ It should not be on the shoulders of a 13-year-old girl, an 18-year-old girl or a 17-year-old boy,” said Hawkins. “That's where the community, family, friends, bystander intervention [comes in]. If you see something that's wrong, speak about it. Stand up for that person, help them, help remove them from a situation that they're not prepared to manage in a way that's safe for them.”
Sanborn said getting involved to help make your community a safer place can look like a lot of different things: volunteering with prevention education programs, spreading awareness or helping out at an outreach event.
“To volunteer with a local program, you don't necessarily have to become a hotline advocate. I think a common misconception is that people feel underprepared for that type of advocacy,” she said.
Sanborn added that there are lots of tangible ways that people can model violence prevention in their everyday actions: teaching about respect and healthy relationships, or “expanding our vocabulary to understand that consent is really just ways of asking permission for things.”
Students at the University of Wyoming (UW) can attend the last GreenDot Bystander Training of the semester on campus this afternoon from 4:30 - 8:00 p.m. Roughly 18% of students at the UW reported that they had experienced sexual assault while enrolled at the school, according to a 2023 Sexual Misconduct Climate Report.
If you or someone you know needs immediate help or support, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656 HOPE (4673). You can also reach out to the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault to get connected to support programs in all 23 counties.
