What is Primary Prevention?

We use the public health model to shape our prevention strategies in the Midcoast Maine region.

The public health model looks at the why and the what when it comes to our health. Why do people get sick? What can we do to prevent people from becoming sick? The "why" are germs. We can all prevent the spread of germs by washing our hands, covering our face when we cough and sneeze, and avoiding public spaces when we're sick. We know that keeping a community healthy requires collaboration from all individuals. If a person does get sick, they're able to ask for help, receive it, and get better, because their community is there to support them. 

Why does sexual violence happen? There are many things that can cause sexual violence, and SASSMM describes anything that causes sexual violence as a risk factor. Risk factors can include: the many forms of oppression (sexism, racism, classism, ableism, ageism, etc.) that make someone vulnerable to abuses of power, a lack of community supports and resources, or an individual causing harm and not facing consequences for it, among others. 

It takes a village....
What can we do when sexual violence does happen? There are many ways we can respond to sexual violence and work towards preventing it again. We call these protective factors. Protective factors focus on strengthening communities and individuals to promote safety, inclusion, and empathy. Protective factors don't just prevent sexual violence, but other forms of violence as well. When we all work towards preventing violence, we reduce harm, and we lessen the strain on our community resources and supports.

Reminder: you can indirectly be impacted by sexual violence without experiencing it yourself. Examples of this could include: a friend or family member being assaulted, feeling distrustful towards your community and resources, and/or anger at the news and media with how people respond to sexual violence and harm.

How can I prevent sexual violence?

There are many things you can do to prevent sexual violence in your bubble. Here are some options that, again, don't just prevent sexual violence, but other forms of violence as well.

• Be an active upstander: Recognize and address situations where sexism, racism, and other forms of oppression are happening. You can choose to address situations in the moment by engaging with the person causing harm or experiencing it, or getting others involved by asking for help. You can also address is afterwards by following up with survivors, finding ways to change policies and procedures, or initiating conversations to discuss attitudes and beliefs that may lead to future harm.  
• Practice consent in all things: Consent is permission or agreement. Make sure that everything you do with or around others, you have consent. Especially when it comes to public and shared spaces. When you don't have consent, or are unsure, you stop the activity you are doing. Keeping the habit of asking for people's permission before doing an activity or behavior, knowing that it takes effort, it can feel awkward or uncomfortable at times, is a fantastic way to maintain positive relationships with others.  
• Understand your biases: We all have them! Ask yourself: what are topics, facts, opinions, relationship dynamics, that make you feel uncomfortable? Understanding yourself, and your limitations, could help you become more open when confronted with information that is outside of your experience. When we're open to more information, it broadens our worldview to create empathy and connection. 
• Educate yourself: There's always more to learn, and more to understand. Having informed opinions creates informed choices. You can educate yourself on anti-violence communication and strategies, motivational interviewing, trauma-informed response and care, key influences in sexual violence movements, the laws and policies that exist in our state, our county, our world, among many other topics.    
• Model healthy behaviors: Show your intentions of dismantling harm by first and foremost: taking care of yourself. How you talk to yourself impacts how you see and interact with the world. Respect and communicate your own boundaries, have consent before doing something, and apologize and make amends if you've caused harm. 
• Understand healthy sexuality: Sexuality is broad and can look different to each and every person. Leading with less shame, and more curiosity could lead us to safer practices, an increase in self-advocacy, and a culture that values consensual relationships. ​

Here at SASSMM, we always want to hear from our community. It can be a casual phone call or an email, or an invite to meet-up! We want to explore more ways to prevent sexual violence, to understand better what is happening in the communities we serve, or how we can band together and work towards a future without sexual violence.