- Sexual violence is a significant public health problem in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS), nearly 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives and nearly 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men have experienced other forms of sexual violence victimization in their lifetime (e.g., made to penetrate someone, sexual coercion, unwanted sexual contact and non-contact unwanted sexual experiences).
- Rape and other forms of sexual violence are preventable. Recognizing this, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act in 1994. This landmark legislation established the Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) program at CDC. The goal of the RPE program is to strengthen sexual violence prevention efforts at the local, state, and national level. It operates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and six U.S. territories.
RPE grantees are currently engaged in a range of activities, such as implementing prevention strategies, that are culturally relevant and based on the best available evidence to conducting educational seminars, professional training, and leveraging resources through partnerships. Grantees are also:
- Implementing primary prevention strategies such as engaging bystanders, educating youth about healthy relationships, and changing social norms,
- Operating statewide and community hotlines,
- Building state and local capacity for program planning, implementation, and evaluation,
- Implementing their state sexual violence primary prevention plan, and
- Assessing state system and local organization evaluation capacity.
To inquire about trainings or more information, contact Wavette Davis, Sexual Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator at wmdavis@mscasa.org. Click on the following to see RPE trainings.