By Sariah Collard, LCSW
Published April 7, 2021
(UPDATE: UVU Student Health Services no longer employs a Victim's Navigator. UVU Police employ a Victim Advocate.)
April is Sexual Assault Awareness month. Many survivors fear telling their family members or friends about an assault, because they don’t know how others will respond. Many survivors fear reaching out for help from law enforcement, community advocates, and therapeutic services for fear they won’t be believed. In April 2011 at the International Conference on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Stalking hosted by EVAWI in Chicago, Illinois, the Start by Believing campaign was launched. The Start by Believing campaign is a movement to help empower our communities to know how to respond to survivors who disclose the abuse they experiences in a trauma-informed manner. Trainings are intended to improve the response of law-enforcement officers, community and system based advocates, therapists, and the community in general.
Here in Utah, the first Wednesday of April is Start by Believing Day. This year is the 10th anniversary of the Start by Believing campaign. You can visit the website and take the pledge that you will start by believing. It can be difficult to know how to support a friend or a loved one who has experienced abuse. On the Start by Believing website there are recommendations on how to respond when a survivor of abuse discloses abuse to you.
If you or your loved one has been impacted by sexual assault, there are various resources at UVU or in the community. If you are a UVU student you can reach out to me, the UVU Victim’s Navigator. I can help you navigate the resources available to you. In addition to what I provide, there is also a Victim’s Advocate with the UVU police.
To get connected to resources in your community you can call the Sexual Assault National Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or visit their website, and chat online with an advocate. For survivors of intimate partner violence in Utah, we have the Linkline 800-897-LINK (5465), or the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-SAFE (7233).
