Sexual Violence Prevention IS Suicide Prevention
Written By: Elizabeth Romary, Communications Specialist
CONTENT WARNING: This post contains discussions of suicide and sexual violence. If this is not something you wish to engage with right now, that’s okay.
When I was 17 and almost finished with my final year of high school, I received the earth-shattering news that my close friend had died by suicide. The world seemed to tilt on its axis, spinning out of control, and I was at the center struggling to comprehend what I was being told. This was the first time anyone I knew died by suicide. Before then, “suicide” was a word I sometimes heard, but it didn’t feel real. I knew about it, but didn’t understand it. I knew people died that way, but it was never part of my world until that moment.
During the years since, and especially, during my time with Volare, I have learned and seen that suicide or suicidal ideation intersect with so many different things: access to healthcare, poverty, homelessness, trauma, sexual violence, racism, and other forms of oppression, just to name a few. Suicide or ideation could happen if one or more of these things becomes overwhelming and may lead to hopelessness. I found out that my friend decided on suicide when their identity wasn’t accepted, and they felt so alone, with no one to support them.
Suicide or suicidal ideation can be caused by actions that uphold oppressive systems and/or fail to provide support. Some examples include:
Not believing survivors of crime/trauma when they share their stories.
Misgendering a person by continuously using the wrong pronouns or denying their identity.
Homelessness and enacting rules and policies that make life more difficult for folks who are unhoused.
Lack of resources and limited access to care and support.
Suicide is rooted in systems of oppression, just like sexual violence. It makes sense why sexual violence prevention and suicide prevention are so interlinked. Right now during the “red zone”** it’s important that we speak on both, because of the impact sexual violence and suicide have on students…and anyone else. When we work to prevent one, we are also working to prevent the other, sometimes without realizing it.
At Volare we talk a lot about building trauma-informed communities that provide resources and support for survivors. When we have resources in place, education on how to best support folks, and are actively working to dismantle oppressive systems that allow sexual violence to occur, we are also engaging in suicide prevention. When we treat people with respect, believe them when they speak out, and provide care and support when they need it, we are engaging in suicide prevention. When we advocate for systemic change and for policies that provide support to folks in need rather than criminalize them, we are engaging in suicide prevention.
Here are some things we can work to do:
Engage in sexual violence prevention work by sharing resources, being an active bystander, learning about the causes of sexual assault, having discussions about consent, practicing open communication, and providing support to survivors in our lives.
Use inclusive language such as using correct pronouns, and using gender-neutral language when speaking about resources so that everyone feels included.
Advocate for better policies that don’t deny folks access to basic needs.
Advocate for more accessible care and resources, such as healthcare, food security, and mutual aid, etc.
I can’t turn back the clock, no matter how much I want to, so that my friend can still be here. But I can honor their life by engaging in prevention and supporting folks however I can. Whether it be through advocacy, through my work here, or by just sitting down and listening.
There are several local and national resources available to anyone who might be considering suicide. However, it’s important to note that not all survivors want to interact with police. Check out Inclusive Therapists for a list of warm lines that don’t involve police.
**The “red zone” is the time of year between mid-August and the end of November when over 50% of on-campus sexual assaults occur.
