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The Pixel Project is pleased to present a guest “16 For 16” article from Survivor Space Oxfordshire. Survivor Space Oxfordshire is dedicated to promoting education, supporting survivors, and encouraging open community dialogue. To learn more about their programmes and services or to get involved, please contact them at training@survivorspace.org.uk.

Sexual violence remains a pervasive and deeply-rooted issue that affects individuals and communities across all ages, cultures, and identities. It takes many forms—including harassment, assault, and coercion—and is alarmingly widespread. According to the World Health Organization, one in three women worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, highlighting the urgent need for systemic change.

Addressing violence against women and girls is not only a moral imperative but a societal responsibility. Progress demands a collective commitment to listen, believe, intervene, and educate. Creating safer communities begins with understanding the scope of the problem and recognising that every person has a role to play—from survivors and bystanders to men, educators, and the media.

At the heart of this effort is education: challenging harmful myths, dismantling rape culture, and fostering empathy and awareness. To make meaningful progress, we must ensure that knowledge and resources are accessible to all.

Here are 16 key points to guide our shared journey toward awareness, prevention, and meaningful action against sexual violence.

Written by Sophie Paye on behalf of Survivor Space Oxfordshire.

Key Point #1: Acknowledging Sexual Violence

Sexual violence includes a broad spectrum of behaviours such as harassment, assault, rape, and coercion. Recognising these forms is crucial for effective support and prevention. As education and resources concerning sexual violence are limited, efforts to address violence against women (VAW) are often restricted. Therefore, we must support organisations and programmes that aim to provide this education, such as the Sexual Violence Research Initiative, whose research provides inclusive resources acknowledging VAW to fill the gaps in evidence and education to build systematic knowledge despite limited resources.

 

Key Point #2: Understanding the Impact on Survivors

It is important to understand that the lasting impacts of assaults are emotional as well as physical. Survivors often face long-lasting emotional scars, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research shows that nearly 80% of women who experience sexual violence report mental health difficulties afterward. We must take time to understand the long-term emotional impact violence leaves to ensure survivors are listened to with empathy, patience, and respect. You can do this by providing a safe space for recovery, believing survivors, and guiding them to resources tailored to support their recovery.

 

Key Point #3: The Role of Bystanders

Research indicates that up to 60% of sexual assaults are prevented when bystanders intervene. Therefore, a drive to promote bystander programmes worldwide, demonstrating that everyone can play a role in creating safer communities through safe intervention strategies, would go a long way toward reducing incidents of violence because empowering individuals through training can foster active intervention. For example, organisations such as Right To Be that teach and use the philosophy of Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay and Direct to encourage bystanders to call out behaviour and actively intervene safely without escalation.

 

Key Point #4: Understanding Consent is Crucial

Clear, enthusiastic consent is fundamental to healthy relationships. Studies reveal that misconceptions about consent contribute to a significant proportion of sexual misconduct cases. Promoting consent culture—where asking, listening, and respecting boundaries are normalised—can significantly reduce sexual violence. We must all understand that sexual consent is more than avoiding breaking the law or meeting ethical standards. It is about making intimate experiences work for everyone involved, having respect for other people, effective communication, and ensuring everyone feels comfortable all of the time.

Key Point #5: Knowing Legal Frameworks and Survivor Rights

Legal protections vary globally but generally criminalise non-consensual acts. However, underreporting remains a challenge—estimates suggest that 63% of sexual assaults are not reported to police. Furthermore, not all of these reports end in prosecution. There is a long journey to make justice pathways accessible to all, so emphasising survivor rights and the need for sensitive handling of cases to support reporting if this is what a survivor chooses to do should be prioritised.

 

Key Point #6: Utilising the Power of Education

Comprehensive education can reduce sexual violence by up to 20%, according to some studies. Integrating lessons on consent, respect, and gender equality in schools helps challenge harmful stereotypes. Early relationship teaching and the implementation of school programmes on permission, boundaries, and consent would support young people in building and maintaining positive, healthy relationships and cover a broad range of topics underpinning relationships. Teaching staff should receive training on all aspects of sex education, equipping them with good understanding of the Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum and pedagogy, and the confidence to effectively educate young people accordingly.

 

Key Point #7: Breaking the Silence

Stigma and fear hinder many survivors from speaking out—only around 25% of sexual violence cases are reported. The power of knowing you are not alone can be transformative as is sharing experiences, support and recovery ideas and reminding individuals they are never alone. Therefore, creating environments that encourage disclosure is essential for healing and justice for survivors. Peer support groups can empower survivors to share their stories without shame, promoting societal change.

 

Key Point #8: Supporting Survivors

Offering free, specialist counselling with expertly trained teams for survivors is crucial. Holistic support for survivors—including medical, legal, and psychological services—is critical. Studies show that timely counselling reduces PTSD symptoms by over 50%.  This underscores the importance of accessible, survivor-centred services for recovery and empowerment.

Key Point #9: Acknowledging the Role of Men and Boys

Engaging men as allies is vital because men and boys have a huge role to play in preventing, combating and calling out sexual violence. As research shows, programmes involving men can reduce perpetration rates by up to 30%. Recognition of this fact has led to a rise in recent years of initiatives for boys and men that support the reshaping of masculinity norms, promoting respect and consent, and involving boys and men in prevention efforts worldwide. Additionally, media outlets have begun to acknowledge this with shows such as Adolescence acknowledging that misogyny is still prevalent in society and often leads to VAW, promoting the importance of the shared responsibility of society, communities, and families in teach young boys respect for women.

 

Key Point #10: Addressing Online Abuse

With the rise of digital platforms, online sexual violence has surged with statistics indicating that 73% of women have experienced online abuse. As such, social media platforms need stricter moderation and reporting tools. Raising awareness about online sexual violence helps protect vulnerable users and encourages responsible digital behaviour. Additionally, in the fight to criminalise the creation of deepfake pornographic videos and other forms of cyber violence against women including threats of rape, bodily harm, and online stalking, it is absolutely vital that women have voices to help implement legislation within the digital space to protect women and girls.

 

Key Point #11: Understanding Workplace Safety and Policies

Workplace harassment affects an estimated 40% of women globally. Implementing clear sexual harassment policies and routine training can reduce incidents by up to 60%. Workplaces must implement zero tolerance policies for sexual harassment and create safe spaces for victims to share their experiences. In recognition of this, many companies now mandate training on sexual violence and harassment to help ensure workplaces remain safe. 2023 figures on the UK Trade Union website state that 43% of women still experience at least three incidents of sexual harassment in the workplace but less than 30% report even one incident.

 

Key Point #12: Encouraging Community Engagement

Local initiatives—like community-led campaigns that increase awareness and reduce incidents of gender-based violence by fostering collective responsibility—can play a pivotal role. Connecting and coordinating the efforts of local organisations with volunteer networks and specialist organisations can develop a genuine sense of community that introduces people to a sensitive subject in an environment where those who may feel uncomfortable with the topic may be more open to conversation and education.

Key Point #13: Understanding the Media’s Role in Shaping Narratives

Responsible media coverage influences public perceptions—misreporting can perpetuate victim-blaming and stigma. Sensitive reporting  can increase survivor willingness to come forward and supports societal change, reporting on rape, changing the narrative explores the role of the media and calls out areas most need of change.

 

Key Point #14: Ensure Adequate Funding and Resources

Adequate funding to sustain survivor support services and gender-based violence prevention programmes is critical in the fight to stop sexual violence against women and girls. Yet, globally, funding for anti-violence initiatives is insufficient—only 0.4% of development aid targets gender-based violence. All organisations in this space are calling for increased investment to expand vital survivor support and education. The need for support has never been greater; funding must continue so that support and resources for survivors and victims can develop and grow in line with what is needed.

 

Key Point #15: Global and Cultural Perspectives

Cultural norms can either hinder or help efforts to combat sexual violence. In some regions, deeply rooted gender inequalities perpetuate violence—addressing these requires culturally sensitive approaches. International cooperation, as promoted by survivor advocacy groups, is key to implementing effective, context-specific solutions.

 

Key Point #16: Taking Action

Last but not least, everyone can contribute—individuals, communities, and governments. Preventing sexual violence requires collective effort—education, intervention, advocacy, and cultural change. Each individual action contributes to building safer, more respectful communities where violence is less likely to occur.

Actions you can take may include:

  • Holding leaders accountable: Urge policymakers, community leaders, and institutions to prioritise and implement effective prevention strategies.
  • Practicing self-reflection: Examine personal attitudes and behaviours to ensure they promote respect and consent in your own relationships.
  • Funding vital organisations: Support enables them to continue their life-saving work.

The pictures used are Creative Commons images: