Document Type
Portfolio
Publication Date
2021
Abstract
Goal Statement: The goal of the following prevention program is to reduce the numbers of sexual harassment, dating violence incidents, and sexual assaults for adolescents ages 11-18, including transgender youth, in the City of Austin, Texas by implementing the procedures outlined below. The prevention plan will be implemented in small local middle and high schools in the Austin Independent School District and will involve the participation of the community and families of the youth involved. The program will be implemented for one school semester. Reduction in the number of incidents and assaults will be assessed utilizing a survey administered pre- and post-prevention.
Significant Findings: Sexual violence has profound and lasting effects on the victim including physical and mental health consequences such as post-traumatic stress disorder (Basile et al., 2016; Jaconis et al., 2020). Rape is often unreported, and some estimates show that only 18 percent of sexual assaults are reported to the police (National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence, 2021). In 2020 there were 54.2 reported sexual assaults per 100,000 people in Austin, Texas (City-Data, 2021). To address the numbers of sexual assaults for youths ages 11-18, including transgender youths, a prevention program utilizing the social ecological model will be implemented in local middle and high schools in Austin, Texas. The program will work to stop sexual assault before it happens, preventing the myriad of physical and mental health problems from occurring. An advocacy program, utilized in conjunction with existing local, state, and national sexual assault prevention and transgender rights organizations, is also proposed as this will help raise awareness of the importance of these issues.
Objectives/Strategies/Interventions/Next Steps: Enact a social ecological model-based prevention program aimed to reduce sexual assault rates for girls ages 11-18 in Austin, Texas. Utilize an ecological perspective to reduce risk factors associated with sexual assault for youth ages 11-18 in Austin, Texas. Incorporate techniques used by the Olweus bullying prevention program to help prevent sexual violence. Utilize the social ecological model and the ecological perspective to reduce sexual violence for transgender youth ages 11-18 in Austin, Texas, while making sure to maintaining confidentiality as well as other ethical codes and standards. Finally, advocate for an action plan to increase public awareness of sexual assault of adolescents and transgender youth in the City of Austin, Texas.
