Consent is key to any romantic/sexual relationship. When consent is missing in a relationship, sexual coercion is one of the many forms of different abuse tactics that can be present. Sexual coercion is a type of sexual abuse that is a lot more common than people may believe it is.

Unfortunately, experiencing an assault of any kind is something that a lot of the general population can relate to. Whether it be a sexual assault, domestic violence, or verbal abuse, there is an unspoken aftermath of these situations that a lot of people don’t talk about in fear of the ‘taboo’ of theses subjects. Dancing around these topics doesn't stop them from happening. While they can be hard to talk about of course, it is important to stay educated if anything ever did happen to you.

Sometimes all you need in life is a good book. Reading stories that you can relate to can make you feel less alone in your healing process. It’s always nice to know someone went through something similar as you did. You can take their lessons they learned and implement them into your life and grow from them. Here are five stories I have recently read and loved, non-fiction and fiction, about trauma and survivors and their journey throughout the ups and downs of recovery and finding a new normal.

Jon Vaughn launches the One Solidarity movement in partnership with the nonprofit Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment (PAVE) with support from The Foundation for Global Sports Development.

Tonic immobility (TI) is when your body enters a state in which your musculoskeletal system becomes rigid. You are unable to move and often unable to speak. This reaction is instinctive when a danger is perceived to be unavoidable. The temporary paralysis is also believed to help cope with the fear and pain that comes with experiences of sexual assault.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) describes a broad range of methods that are outside of typical Western medical practices. There are many reasons why some might look to this field instead of or in conjunction with Western approaches that consist of doctor-patient relations.

The U.S. Center for Safe Sport is a Congressionally-created agency that seeks to prevent sexual abuse in sport and to bring justice to survivors. The Center has power over all Olympic organizations, Paralympic organizations, and NGBs (National Governing Bodies) in the United States. The Center was created by a 2017 Act of Congress, and both receives reports from survivors and mandatory reporters and provides education for adults involved in competitive sports.

With the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses increasing in recent years, it is that much more important to raise awareness surrounding this issue. Although sexual assault can happen to anyone of any age and gender, college-aged women 18-24 years old are are 3x more likely than all other women to be sexually assaulted. Compared to all other crimes, sexual assault is also the most prevalent crime to take place on college campuses.

Sisterhood only gets stronger through challenging ourselves to do better and to show up for each other. Sororities should be a safe place where women can turn to their sisters in times of crisis. For more resources to help yourself, a sister or a friend, please check out Survivors.org