April is Awareness Month

April has been designated Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. 

The goal of SAAM is to raise public awareness about sexual violence (focusing on sexual assault and rape) and to educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence.


Find a SAAPM event near you! 

RAINN Statistics:

• 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men will be a victim of sexual assault in their lifetime.
• College age women are 4 times more likely to be sexually assaulted.

• In 2007, there were 248,300 victims of sexual assault.
• Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.
• 60% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police.
• Reporting has increased by 1/3 since 1993.
• Approximately 73% of rape victims know their assailants.
• Only 6% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail.

Please REPORT any experience in which you were taken advantage of physically or sexually. Speaking out about an experience with sexual violence is difficult, but it is also empowering, and it can help prevent future abuses.


The same goes for Birth Trauma. If you feel you have been violated due to a Cesarean experience, please contact your local ICAN chapter or visit http://www.solaceformothers.org/ for help.


April is also Cesarean Awareness Month.  

Sponsored by the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN), "It is a time for awareness for all pregnant women, all mothers, and all women everywhere. The risks of surgery are not felt only by the women who have cesareans, but by our society as a whole. We owe those women the access to knowledge and the availability of information and support." 


The National Center for Health Statistics reports that the cesarean rate in 2007 is the highest ever reported in the U.S., with a rate of 32 percent, up 53 percent from 1996.   The most significant increase is among women under 25, up 57% since 2000.

Currently, the VBAC rate is less than 8 percent, with evidence showing that 60%-80% or more of women having a VBAC trial of labor will be successful.   This decline is driven by the continually growing number of hospitals banning the VBAC option.


The Birth Survey is an on-going, online consumer survey that asks women to provide feedback about their birth experience with a particular doctor or midwife and within a specific birth environment. Responses will be made available online to other women in their community who are deciding where and with whom to birth. Take the time to fill out the survey about your experience.