Sexual assault affects more of those around us than we know, from coworkers to friends and family to the individual across from you in the coffee shop.
Sexual assault affects more of those around us than we know, from coworkers to friends and family to the individual across from you in the coffee shop.
In the United States, a sexual assault is committed every 68 seconds. One of every 6 women in the US has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape, and 1 in 33 men in the US has been a victim of an attempted or completed rape.1 Only 25 of every 1000 perpetrators go to prison, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.1
Sexual assault can happen anywhere, with 55% of sexual assaults occurring at or near the victim’s home, 15% in an open public place, 12% at or near a relative’s home, 10% in an enclosed public area (eg, parking garage/lot), and 8% on school property.1
April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, an excellent time to educate and equip ourselves and our patients with strategies to help prevent and protect victims of sexual assault.
Sometimes an individual may be a bystander to sexual assault. Common reasons for bystanders not intervening in situations include not wanting to cause a scene, wanting to mind their own business, or thinking someone else will step in.
However, there are ways to lend a hand in preventing sexual assault from happening in the first place by implementing active bystander intervention strategies.
Whether it’s stepping in when an individual acts aggressively or giving a friend a ride home when they’ve had too much to drink, active bystander intervention is integral to helping prevent
sexual assault.2
By being a more proactive bystander, we can help prevent sexual assault and thus create a safer environment for ourselves and those around us.
Mike Hennessy Jr
President and CEO, MJH Life Sciences®
References
Buprenorphine use in pregnancy linked to decreased fetal breathing movements
May 18th 2024According to a poster presented at ACOG 2024, use of the synthetic opioid buprenorphine depressed fetal breathing in biophysical profile assessments, but had no significant impact on other factors like amniotic fluid index or fetal tone.
Read More
Laparoscopic RFA linked to enhanced pregnancy outcomes in uterine fibroid patients
May 18th 2024A recent study presented at the 2024 ACOG Clinical and Scientific Meeting reveals that laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation significantly improves pregnancy outcomes for women with uterine leiomyomas.
Read More
Identifying gaps in syphilis treatment and prenatal care among pregnant individuals
May 17th 2024Preventing congenital syphilis comes down to quick diagnosis and treatment of the infection in pregnancy, and the number of missed opportunities to do so in the United States continues to grow.
Read More