Preventing Sexual Assault

Ten things I can do to prevent sexual assault and violence against women*

Although most sexual assaults and incidents of violence (against both men and women) are by men, the majority of men are not violent or rapists.

However, all men have a role to play in helping to prevent sexual assault and violence in our communities.

This web-site advocates ten things that both men and women can do to prevent violence against women, with a particular focus upon preventing sexual assault.

*Concept adapted from Jackson Katz 10 Things Men Can Do to Prevent Gender Violence", www.jacksonkatz.com.

  1. Understand what violence against women and sexual assault is
    2.
  2. Challenge Myths with Reality
    3.
  3. Take an ethical approach to sex
    4.
  4. Confront sexual bullying
    5.
  5. Support victim/survivors
    6.
  6. If prone to violent behaviours, seek professional help
    7.
  7. Be inclusive of women
    8.
  8. Learn how larger social forces affect conflicts between men and women
    9.
  9. Lead by example
    10.
  10. Be confident, speak out

Note: Legal versus Ethical - Definitions
"Sexual assault" is a legal term used to describe a range of sexual behaviours that Australian law recognises as criminal.

The purpose of legal definitions of "sexual assault" and related concepts like "consent" are so that Courts can decide if a person has committed a criminal offence.

As a result, such definitions are very specific and in Australia, vary between States.

purplearmband.org does not seek to help people do the work of Courts, that is, make legal judgements about whether someone has committed sexual assault.

Rather, we aim to prevent sexual assault from occurring in the first place.

For this purpose, we believe an ethical approach to sexual decision-making is more useful. Therefore, our definitions and the range of behaviours we describe as sexual assault or non-consensual are based in ethics rather than the law.

"Ethics" comes from the Greek word "ethos" meaning "character". Ethics is about deciding what is right, with the central question being "What ought I to do?"

We hope that this website assists people to find ethical answers in response to this question and their sexual choices, thereby never having to consider the legal prospect that they may have committed a criminal offence.

Likewise, our description of violence against women recognises a range of abusive behaviours, not all of which may be criminal or criminal in all circumstances.