Gender Violence Prevention

Overview

Gender-based violence is a form of power-based violence that manifests as sexual assault, intimate partner violence, sexual harassment, and stalking and is linked to normative understandings of gender. GBV mimics or stems from a system of gender power imbalances. It is violence used against women, girls, men, boys, trans folks, and gender non-binary folks to assert, reinforce, and reproduce gender roles and norms, which are rooted in power and control. It is a type of power-based violence. Power-based violence is an umbrella term for any violence that exists as a result of systemic power imbalances (racism, transphobia, biphobia, homophobia, ageism, ableism, and others). Gender violence can also be described as any act of violence that is directly related to or justified by using the gender or sexual orientation of the victims or survivors. **

It is never a person’s fault if someone chooses to assault them. It is always, 100% of the time, the fault of the person who interacted with another person’s body without their permission.

Consent

Consent is…

  • Affirmative
  • Enthusiastic
  • Freely Given
  • Ongoing
  • Pleasurable
  • Fun
  • Ethical
  • Mandatory

Consent is affirmative. We’ve all heard, “no means no,” but that’s not enough. Someone must have permission to interact with another’s body- a “YES”. Consent is an enthusiastic willingness to do a particular sexual activity in a way that everyone understands.  Consent can be revoked at any time, including during a sex act. It’s up to the person initiating the specific sexual activity to get clear consent. Consent can be verbal and non-verbal, but the best way to have clear consent is a combination of both. Being drunk or high does not take away the responsibility of seeking and receiving clear consent, and if both people are drunk, it’s up to the person initiating the specific sexual act to get consent. A person who is incapacitated CANNOT CONSENT. Consent can not be obtained by coercion in any form. Visit our Consent page to learn more.

Bystander Intervention Training (BIT)

Bystander Intervention Training is an interactive, student-facilitated training that aims to engage everyone in preventing gender violence on the Homewood campus. BIT helps students identify situations of concern, and provides knowledge and tools to encourage safe and successful interventions. The goal of the program is to reduce the incidence of sexual and relationship violence on campus by training participants to intervene in safe and creative ways, rather than standing aside as a passive bystander. The BIT program aims to promote a cultural shift in the way gender violence is perceived and discussed on the JHU campus. It is a four-hour training broken down into two 2-hour sessions. If you would like to schedule a BIT program for your student group, please contact jhuchew@jh.edu.

JHU Sexual Assault Policy and Laws

Campus Resources

Johns Hopkins University is committed to promoting a safe and supportive environment for each and every member of our community. If you have been sexually assaulted or a victim of sexual violence, we urge you to reach out to a counselor for emotional support and get medical care. We also stand ready to assist you with a complaint through JHU and/or local law enforcement. Please note that some resources are confidential while others are mandated reporters.

JHU Confidential Resources

  • Homewood Counseling Center: 410-516-8278; 410-516-7777 (on-call counselor)
    • Serves all full-time undergraduate & graduate students from KSAS, WSE, & Peabody.
    • The Counseling Center on the Homewood campus, also coordinates on a University-wide basis, confidential sexual assault resources and serves as a liaison between the University and Baltimore City confidential resources.
  • Homewood Student Health and Wellness Center: 410-516-4784
    • Serves all full-time, part-time & visiting undergraduate & graduate students from KSAS, WSE & Peabody.
  • Religious and Spiritual Life: 410-516-1880
  • Gender Violence Prevention and Education: 410-516-5133
    • Alyse Campbell, Associate Director of Student Well-Being, serves all students and trainees.
  • JHU Sexual Assault Helpline: 410-516-7333
    • A confidential service available 24/7 to ALL JHU students. Receive information, support, and discuss options for medical care, counseling, and reporting with professional counselors. Calls do NOT constitute making an official report of sexual misconduct to the University. Callers can remain anonymous.
  • Johns Hopkins Student Assistance Program (JHSAP): 443-287-7000
    • Serves graduate, medical & professional students from the following schools and programs, and their spouses and partners: Carey Business School, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences: Advanced Academic Programs (AAP), School for Advanced and International Studies, School of Education, School of Medicine (graduate and medical students), School of Nursing, School of Public Health, Whiting School of Engineering: Engineering for Professionals (EP)
  • Johns Hopkins University Health Services: 410-955-3250/Mental Health Services: 410-955-1892
    • Serves Bloomberg School of Public Health, School of Medicine, and School of Nursing students, residents, fellows & trainees & their spouses or domestic partners.

JHU Nonconfidential Resources

  • Office of Institutional Equity: 410-516-8075
  • Office of the Dean of Student Life: 410-516-8208
  • Security: 410-516-7777

Supporting Survivors Quick Tips

Helping a Friend

  • Allow survivors to make decisions for themselves
  • Allow as much time as needed-let them go at their pace
  • Listen
  • Convey that you believe them and that the assault was not their fault
  • Understand there is no “perfect” survivor
  • Offer to assist in contacting or accessing resources

Continued Support

  • Let the person who is a survivor tell you what they need
  • Assist in setting up a safe space
  • Ask if they would like you to “check in”- respect their boundaries if they do not
  • Be patient
  • Maintain self-care

Self-Care

  • Maintain boundaries
  • Recognize when something is out of your comfort area or reach
  • Take time for yourself
  • Be mindful of your own emotional wellness
  • Find someone you can talk to

Resources and External Support

I’m Alive

I’m Alive is the first online network with 100% of its volunteers trained and certified in crisis intervention.

Love is Respect

Love is Respect strives to be a safe, inclusive space for young people to access information and get help in an environment that is designed specifically for them. Their website provides comprehensive education on healthy, unhealthy and abusive dating relationships and behaviors.

Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault

The mission of Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault is to help prevent sexual assault, advocate for accessible, compassionate care for survivors of sexual violence, and work to hold offenders accountable. They offer a variety of programs and services including legal services.

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network

The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network is the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization and has been ranked as one of “America’s 100 Best Charities” by Worth magazine. Among its programs, RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. This nationwide partnership of more than 1,100 local rape treatment hotlines provides victims of sexual assault with free, confidential services around the clock. The hotline helped 137,039 sexual assault victims in 2005 and has helped more than one million since it began in 1994.

TurnAround

The mission of TurnAround is to build a community free of violence by working with adults and children affected by intimate partner and sexual violence to address their needs and prevent further violence through advocacy and education.