Sexual Violence Prevention

In Missouri, it is estimated that one in three women and one in seven men has experienced sexual violence (SV) in their lifetime. The Department of Health and Senior Services has been working to keep sexual violence from ever happening. Beginning in 2018, the department, with a team of partners, developed a state action plan for the prevention of SV. This plan prioritizes the prevention of sexual violence using the best available evidence including workplace policy change strategies, addressing the built environment and improving economic opportunity for women and girls.

SANE Nurse

Sexual Violence Services

Get Help

There is a network of community-based rape crisis centers and local organizations who support the needs of sexual assault survivors.  These centers exist across the United States to provide supportive services to victims of sexual assault.  While the specific services available vary by location, services are confidential and may include:

• advocacy
• accompaniment during medical exams and law enforcement interviews
• education
• follow-up services
• referrals to other resources

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), organizes the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline. The Hotline is a referral service that can put you in contact with your local rape crisis center. You can call the Hotline at 1-800-656-4673, or access RAINN’s online chat service.

Prevention

Prevention activities are typically categorized by the following three definitions:

1. Primary Prevention: intervening before health effects occur, through measures such as vaccinations, altering risky behaviors (poor eating habits, tobacco use) and banning substances known to be associated with a disease or health condition.
2. Secondary Prevention: screening to identify diseases in the earliest stages, before the onset of signs and symptoms, through measures such as mammography and regular blood pressure testing.
3. Tertiary Prevention: managing disease post diagnosis to slow or stop disease progression through measures such as chemotherapy, rehabilitation, and screening for complications.

The primary prevention of sexual violence means stopping sexual violence before it even has a chance to happen. This means addressing the root causes of sexual violence, like broad cultural factors such as beliefs about gender equality and multiple forms of oppression such as racism, transphobia, and ableism and social systems that reinforce power over others.

SAFE Program

• SAFE Program Medical Checklist