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Sexual Assault Awareness Month

A month-long observance in April dedicated to raising awareness of sexual violence, supporting survivors, and advancing prevention in communities across the United States.

Thursday
1–30
April 2027
Last updated February 26, 2026 · by the Holiday Calendar Team
Have an update or spot an error?
YEARLY DATEAll of April
OBSERVED INUnited States
CATEGORYAwareness
SUBCATEGORYViolence Prevention
ORIGIN

Institutional Initiative

FOUNDING ENTITY
National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)
FIRST OBSERVED
2001
“NSVRC and the Resource Sharing Project polled coalitions in 2000, and the field chose the teal ribbon. SAAM was first observed nationally in April 2001.
HOW THE HOLIDAY CAME TO BE

A movement chose its symbol by a vote

Sexual Assault Awareness Month was first observed nationally in April 2001, coordinated by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. In 2000, NSVRC and the Resource Sharing Project polled state, territory, and tribal coalitions on a color, symbol, and month, and the field chose the teal ribbon.

Read the NSVRC history of SAAMvia National Sexual Violence Resource Center
INTRO

The color of a movement, chosen by the people in it

The teal ribbon now worn every April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month was not handed down by a committee or a brand. It was chosen by the field. In 2000, the newly launched National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the Resource Sharing Project polled state, territory, and tribal coalitions on a preferred color, symbol, and month, and most of them answered: teal.

A year later, in April 2001, the month was first observed nationally. What started as scattered April events and a week-long "Sexual Assault Awareness Week" became one coordinated campaign, run each spring by the people closest to the work.

This is a month for awareness, but it has always carried a second purpose alongside it: prevention, and the support of survivors. It is observed soberly, not celebrated. If you are looking for help, it is in the next section.

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GET INVOLVED

Resources and Support

EDITOR'S PICK

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline. Free, confidential, 24/7 support for survivors and their loved ones. Call 1-800-656-HOPE (1-800-656-4673), chat online at rainn.org/hotline, or text HOPE to 64673.

NATIONAL

National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)

National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). The organization that coordinates Sexual Assault Awareness Month, with free awareness and prevention resources for survivors, advocates, and communities.

988

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Free, confidential crisis support, 24/7, for anyone in emotional distress. Call or text 988.
ORIGINS

Sexual Assault Awareness Month history

INTRODUCTION

Long before April had a name on the calendar, people were already organizing against sexual violence. The roots of this month run through the activism of the 1970s, not a single founding act.

The campaign that exists today was built on that older work, and it took shape only when the movement was asked what it wanted.

CHAPTER 01

A movement before a month

The first rape crisis center in the United States opened in San Francisco in 1971. It gave survivors a place to call when there had not been one.

Seven years later, the same city held the first US Take Back the Night event. Marches, vigils, and awareness events spread through the years that followed, often clustered in April.

By 1994, the issue had reached the national stage. That year RAINN answered the first call to its National Sexual Assault Hotline, and the Violence Against Women Act became law.

CHAPTER 02

The year the field chose teal

Advocates had been holding April events for years, sometimes during a week-long "Sexual Assault Awareness Week." What was missing was a shared identity.

In 2000, the newly launched National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the Resource Sharing Project polled sexual-violence coalitions across states, territories, and tribes. They asked a simple question: what color, symbol, and month should represent this cause?

Most coalitions answered teal. In April 2001, Sexual Assault Awareness Month was observed nationally for the first time, coordinated by NSVRC.

CHAPTER 03

From awareness to prevention

In the early 2000s, the goal was visibility: getting the teal ribbon, and its meaning, in front of people. By the mid-2000s the campaign leaned harder into prevention, turning toward communities, workplaces, and college campuses.

In 2009, President Barack Obama signed Proclamation 8359, the first presidential proclamation to mark April as National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

NSVRC still coordinates the national campaign every April, providing free resources to the organizations and individuals doing the work. April 2026 marks the month's official 25th anniversary.

TIMELINE

Timeline

First US rape crisis center

The country's first rape crisis center opened in San Francisco, giving survivors a place to call.

First US Take Back the Night

San Francisco held the first US Take Back the Night event, part of the 1970s wave of activism.

The field chooses teal

NSVRC and the Resource Sharing Project polled coalitions, who chose the teal ribbon as the cause's symbol.

First national observance

Sexual Assault Awareness Month was observed nationally for the first time, coordinated by NSVRC.

First presidential proclamation

President Obama signed Proclamation 8359, marking April as National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The 25th anniversary

April 2026 marks the official 25th anniversary of the national campaign, themed '25 Years Stronger.'

WHY THIS DAY MATTERS

Why Sexual Assault Awareness Month Matters

INFRASTRUCTURE

One shared campaign, built for groups with little time or funding.

Funding and time are constant barriers for local coalitions, campuses, and community groups working to end sexual violence. Each April, NSVRC supplies the free resources, graphics, and tools that let them all raise awareness with one shared campaign.

PREVENTION

Awareness and prevention together

SAAM began as an awareness effort, but by the mid-2000s it leaned into prevention in communities, workplaces, and on campuses. The two goals work in tandem: it is hard to prevent a problem people do not recognize.

Sexual assault scars the lives of millions in the United States.
Barack ObamaPresident of the United States, Proclamation 8359 (2009)

GOOD TO KNOW

Surprising facts about Sexual Assault Awareness Month

The teal ribbon was chosen by a vote

A 2000 NSVRC and Resource Sharing Project poll asked coalitions about a color, symbol, and month, and most chose teal. The symbol came from the field, not a marketing office.

The support movement predates the month by 30 years

The first US rape crisis center opened in San Francisco in 1971, three decades before the first national SAAM in 2001.

A president did not mark it until 2009

Though observed nationally since 2001, April was not designated by a presidential proclamation until Obama signed Proclamation 8359 in 2009.

The official figures are likely undercounts

The CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey is the authoritative federal source, yet the CDC says under-reporting means its numbers likely underestimate the true prevalence.

Take Back the Night started in the same city

The first US Take Back the Night event was held in San Francisco in 1978, seven years after the city's first rape crisis center.

GET INVOLVED

How to Observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month

EDITOR'S PICK

Save a hotline number in your phone

Add the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline, 1-800-656-HOPE, to your contacts. Having it ready means you can share it the moment a friend needs one.

WEAR

Wear or display the teal ribbon

Teal is the symbol coalitions chose for this cause. Wearing it during April is a quiet way to signal awareness and support for survivors.

LEARN

Learn about consent and bystander intervention

Prevention is built on everyday skills, not slogans. Use the free materials from NSVRC to learn how to recognize warning signs and step in.

SUPPORT

Support a local organization

Rape crisis centers and coalitions do this work all year, often on tight budgets. Donate, volunteer your time, or amplify the services they offer.

SHARE

Share verified resources, carefully

If you post about the month, link only trustworthy sources such as RAINN or NSVRC. Avoid graphic detail and keep the focus on support and prevention.

Test your knowledge

How well do you know Sexual Assault Awareness Month?

1 / 7

How was the teal ribbon chosen as the symbol for sexual assault awareness?

Answer

It is observed throughout the month of April, every year, across the United States.

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