EVAWI: Conference Poster Design

Special thanks to Alyssa Castellano, who helped bring my design come to life! 

Poster Handout & Information:
[Intimate partner Violence- Sexual Assault & Relationship Violence & University Culture in the United States]
Background:

This poster stems from my research from online resources including blogs in which survivors, mostly women, posted their stories and experiences in their universities. I have also used my own personal experience of surviving an abusive dating relationship during my first year of college as well as my background as a Relationship Violence Prevention advocate and Peer Health Educator through which I have been able to speak to a wide variety of students who have bravely chosen to share with me their stories, struggles, and triumphs.

[The quotes that are on Kathy’s side of the poster are quotes that I took from the stories of real women from various colleges.]

The Facts

• Women ages 16-24 experience the highest per capita rate of intimate partner violence and sexual assault[1].
• Nearly one third of college students report having physically assaulted a dating partner in the previous 12 months (Break the Cycle, Inc., 2005).

• As many as one quarter of female students experience sexual assault over the course of their college career (Break the Cycle, Inc., 2005).

• Approximately 90% of victims of sexual assault on college campuses know their attacker (Break the Cycle, Inc., 2005).

• The more intimate the relationship, the more likely it is for a rape to be completed rather than attempted

• Half of all student victims do not label the incident “rape.”

• This is particularly true when no weapon was used, no sign of physical injury is evident, and alcohol was involved—factors commonly associated with campus acquaintance rape.

• “Given the extent of non-stranger rape on campus, it is no surprise that the majority of victimized women do not define their experience as a rape.” [2]

“According to the 2008 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) published by the U.S. Department of Justice, nearly 60 percent of all rapes are not reported to the police, which means there is no chance for the perpetrator to be held accountable. Women often do not want to go through the process of reliving the story through necessary work with the police. In college, social groups intertwine, friend groups change, and students reinvent their lives. And because of that, the capture and prosecution of the rapist could change the emotional and social structure of the victim’s life”-Carrie Johansen from Feminists for Life of America

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[1] US Department of Justice, 1997

[2] December 2005 NIJ report, “Sexual Assault on Campus: What Colleges and Universities Are Doing About It.”

Poster Graphics & Symbolism:

The main graphic of this poster consists of a chaotic pile of triangles at the top of the image.  

This pile represents the chaos, confusion, and brokenness that both women feel during the initial stages of surviving their trauma. As both women move down the path of their journey, pieces of the chaotic pile are taken out and have a black icon within its triangle.

These separate icons and triangles represent the support systems or resources that were readily available and open to both Katie and Kathy. We notice that as Katie receives support through her University and her outside support networks and the once broken chaos that she initially started with is mended as she becomes healed or whole again.
Conversely, Kathy, who does not have the same triangles of support in place, is left in the same brokenness as she had started with. This represents the notion of revictimization, in which the survivor of sexual assault or relationship violence is unsupported, blamed, and “re-victimized” within the university culture and system.

Implications for University Culture and Health: How can we support survivors?

·      Comprehensive and Accessible resources available readily on and off campus, such as:

•     Support groups/ Health Services/ Counseling Services/ Sexual Assault/ Relationship Violence Response teams/ Campus Police & Security

•       Support/ Informational Websites; Brochures

·      Specific, up-to-date, and timely disciplinary procedures (Comprehensive Sexual assault response policies in accordance with Title IV, information on reporting, access to legal support and advocacy)
·      Sensitivity to people of all backgrounds and experiences from University Staff and Faculty through trainings and workshops
·      Fostering a culture that does not tolerate “rape culture” and a culture of violence
o   Education, Awareness, & Prevention-Of staff, faculty, and students on myths, reporting incidents, and sensitive support for survivors
o   Comprehensive Sexual Assault Policies and Response Measures

This poster is free to download & print! If you use it, please let me know and keep the credits remaining at the bottom of the poster