Five Years Since Steubenville: Five Actions You Can Take NOW

Last week, we acknowledged that five years have gone by since the harrowing sexual assault of a teenage girl in Steubenville, Ohio.

This week, we’re taking five days to share five actions you can take now in order to raise awareness of sexual violence – and hopefully prevent more tragedies like the one in Steubenville.

ACTION #1: Watch “Audrie & Daisy” on Netflix.

If you haven’t seen this documentary yet, it’s the true story of several young girls, their sexual assault experiences, and the cyberbullying that took place in the aftermath. We recommend watching with the teens in your life as a way to open up conversations about the impact of victim blaming. Here is a handy parent discussion guide.

ACTION #2: Read Emily Doe’s letter.

In a letter that rocked the internet, the sexual assault survivor from Stanford read this powerful statement during her trial. It touches on so many poignant issues surrounding assault – toxic masculinity, victim blaming, trauma. A news anchor even read the letter in its entirety on air, which you can watch here.

ACTION #3: Download – or encourage a teen in your life to try – the Respect Effect app from That’s Not Cool.

A lot of sexual assault prevention methods cover what not to do – but what about what to do? Enter the Respect Effect app from That’s Not Cool. It’s new, thousands of users are already on it, and it’s an engaging way for teens to practice healthy relationship skills with significant others or their friends.

ACTION #4: Demand Title IX enforcement.

Title IX is the law meant to protect students from gender-based violence – and it applies to K-12 schools. There has been concern that this administration will not enforce it, so it’s important to take action and demand that officials take Title IX seriously and fund it appropriately. Get involved in a campaign, like #DearBetsy, from Know Your IX and End Rape on Campus.

ACTION #5: Donate to prevention programs.

Before sexual violence occurs, we must combat fundamental issues that contribute to its existence. That’s why we at FUTURES are working to prevent violence through myriad programs, such as training judges, empowering high school athletic coaches to teach young men about respect, and leading policy discussions to make changes in Washington, DC. GIVE TODAY.