CVAC Blog

Sexualized violence is a global health crisis that affects people all across the world and disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. According to the World Health Organization, 30% of women across the world have experienced sexualized violence (WHO, 2021). In coordination with the Binghamton University Center for Civic Engagement and Global Health Impact Project, our group, Alexi Berges, Ben Kashipour, Michal Sherman, and Priya Pindiprolu, created a community engagement project centered around sexual assault prevention and education. Our motivation throughout this community engagement project was to alleviate the burden that survivors of sexualized violence face by aiding in their subsequent medical costs, such as: Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing, rape test kits, emergency contraceptives, and pregnancy testing. We worked with the Crime Victims Assistance Center, CVAC, to fundraise and raise awareness for their mission, “to provide compassionate support and education, enhancing the community's ability to prevent and respond to victims of crime” (CVAC). CVAC provides free resources to survivors of crime, such as: legal services, counseling, safe housing, and support in receiving medical care.

Our first fundraising effort was selling tote bags with a message that read “Break The Silence” and was aimed at spreading awareness for sexualized violence survivors. From our tote bag sales we raised $1,500.00. Our second fundraising effort was a collaboration with Blaze Pizza. With this local restaurant fundraiser, we were able to receive 28% of the proceeds, which amounted to $110.

We also hosted a supply drive that collected donations for CVAC’s new Child Advocacy Center, which provides children of crime with mental health and medical resources. Through our supply drive, we were able to collect multiple donations of children’s toys and books.

We also organized an educational event for Binghamton University students. Binghamton University is an unfortunate example of students who do not feel sexualized violence prevention measures are effective enough. In 2020, after an influx in students sharing their stories of sexual assault and how Binghamton University failed to support them, the administration put in place several measures, such as: mandatory sexual assault training for first years and the implementation of a Violence Abuse Rape Crisis Center (VARCC) to house all of the related resources. While measures have been put in place to address the overwhelming numbers of sexualized violence on campus, many students do not know what free resources are available to them on campus. A staff member from CVAC presented on the resources available to students off and on campus in instances of sexualized violence. Some of these resources include: a sexual assault advocate, the Deputy Title IX Coordinator, a bystander training coordinator, the Office of Student Conduct, Residential life, trauma recovery, Crime Victims Assistance Center, and Binghamton University Interfaith Council. Through this event, we were able to connect with 28 students and measure their knowledge attainment through exit slips. These exit slips asked 4 questions: what services are housed in the VARCC, what does a confidential report mean, what is an example of an office that utilizes anonymous reports, and what services does the VARCC provide?

Upon reflection, our project proved to be successful in fundraising for medical resources for survivors. While our original goal was to solely fundraise for medical resources, over the course of the project, we realized how necessary it was to educate the Binghamton community about how prevalent sexualized violence is and how they can receive support in these cases. Our true impact was in the amount of people we were able to connect with and educate on how large of a problem sexualized violence is in Binghamton and globally, what vital resources CVAC provides to the community, and how they can participate in these efforts.

In order to combat the prevalence of sexualized violence globally, we can take part in a few measures. We should educate ourselves and others around us about what resources are available locally to aid in the recovery from these crimes and how to effectively report cases. Become familiar with your local nonprofits and support services that specialize in providing justice and assistance to survivors. If there are not any resources near you, know and be ready to share with others the National Sexual Assault Hotline number, 1-800-656-4673. If you have the time, volunteer with a local or national organization. These organizations heavily rely on the work of their volunteer networks. Some examples of volunteer efforts you can participate in are: getting trained to become a rape crisis counselor or becoming a medical advocate. The most important effort we can take to be vigilant at fighting sexualized violence is supporting survivors and teaching people what resources they have available in these often inevitable experiences. Create a safety plan with friends and family. Learn about what resources near you are available and confidential. Most importantly, listen to survivors and assist them in whatever path they choose to take after an assault.