STOP SV: Explaining the CDC sexual violence prevention strategy

Data from the World Health Organization indicates that approximately 736 million women across the globe have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their lifetime. Such sobering statistics highlight the prevalence of sexual violence against women, which has compelled the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a resource to help communities take advantage of the best available evidence to prevent sexual violence. “STOP SV: A Technical Package to Prevent Sexual Violence” is available in English and Spanish and was designed to reduce the likelihood that a person will engage in sexual violence. The following rundown identifies the CDC’s strategies and corresponding approaches to prevent sexual violence (SV).

■ S: The strategy is to promote social norms that protect against violence with an approach aimed at bystander approaches that are designed to engage individuals to change social norms and provide leadership around preventing SV. This approach aims to mobilize men and boys as allies in preventing sexual and relationship violence by demonstrating their role in such prevention and reinforcing norms that reduce their own risk for future perpetration.

■ T: The strategy here is to teach skills to prevent sexual violence. Teaching may focus on healthy, safe dating and emphasize intimate relationship skills to adolescents. Empowerment-based training is designed to strengthen women’s ability to assess violence risk in relationships and situations and empower them to act.

■ O: This strategy seeks to provide opportunities to empower and support girls and women. This approach aims to strengthen economic supports for women and families and to address poverty, economic security and power imbalances between men and women. An additional aim is to decrease gender inequality, which the CDC notes has been linked to SV risk. This approach also aims to strengthen leadership and opportunities for girls by emphasizing programs that build confidence and knowledge, thus increasing the influence of women in society.

■ P: The strategy focuses on building protecting environments by improving safety and monitoring in schools, establishing workplace policies and identifying how those policies can be consistently applied, and addressing community-level risks. Community-level risks may be addressed by changing, enacting or enforcing laws, regulations or organizational policies that can reduce the risk of SV.

■ SV: This strategy focuses on supporting victims and survivors through victim-centered services. This approach also includes treatment for victims of SV and treatment for at-risk children and families in an effort to prevent problem behaviors such as

SV. This approach also seeks to strengthen parent-child relationships and focuses on parental outcomes, including stress and depression, that can affect parenting behaviors that impact children’s risk for SV perpetration.

More information about the CDC’s “STOP: SV” resource to prevent sexual violence is available at cdc.gov/ violenceprevention/sexualviolence/prevention.html.