The overarching purpose of the Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) program is to prevent sexual violence (SV) perpetration and victimization. This Collaborative Agreement advances this goal by using a - The estimated lifetime prevalence of sexual violence in West Virginia (WV) mirrors the national victimization rate, with an estimated 1 in 6 women and 1 in 21 men expected to be victims of an attempted or completed sexual assault (NISVS 2018). While studies substantiate that most sexual assaults (as many as 2/3) go unreported, West Virginia still has a high rate of reported rapes. Overall, the number of violent crime victimizations in the United States decreased by 22% from 2019 to 2020, yet no statistically significant changes in the number of victimizations involving rape or sexual assault between 2019 and 2020 were noted (Bureau of Justice Statistics October 2021, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2019–2020). The WV Rape Prevention and Education Program, through the WV Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR), has utilized data to identify three populations (children/youth, college-age adults, and people with disabilities) who are at higher risk for victimization. While these target populations are at increased risk, health disparities exist, as social determinants of health disproportionately impact those within these populations. The purpose of this project is to prevent sexual violence and promote health equity in West Virginia. Targeted strategies will reduce the risk of sexual victimization and perpetration and address health disparities involving social factors that contribute to sexual violence. Activities will include enhancing multi-sector partnerships to address the root causes of victimization and developing five-year plans to outline activities and measure the outcomes of those activities. Based on the objectives and activities outlined below, the following short-term outcomes are expected to be achieved in the first two years of the project: o Increased capacity to implement and evaluate primary prevention of sexual violence at the community- and societal- levels within WVDHHR o Increased capacity to promote and incorporate health equity program activities relevant to sexual violence prevention among partnering organizations o Increased partner awareness of the state’s efforts to prevent sexual violence o Increased partner and community awareness of effective primary prevention strategies and the disparate burden of sexual violence o Increased coordination and collaboration among partners and between WVDHHR, the sexual assault coalition, representatives from undeserved communities, and other sectors to prevent sexual violence o Increased community-level implementation of sexual violence prevention strategies o Increased implementation of prevention strategies among communities and populations with disproportionately high rates of sexual violence o Increased implementation of prevention strategies that seek to prevent sexual violence by addressing social and structural determinants of health o Increased access and use of data to understand inequities within populations and communities with disproportionately high rates of sexual violence o Increased monitoring and evaluation activities and sharing of data related to sexual violence prevention
