As Sexual Assault Awareness Month came to a close My Sister’s House developed pins that said “Believe Survivors” in various API languages.

Believing Survivors is the first step we can all take towards supporting survivors and creating a world where survivors feel like they have a voice.

What does it look like?

You can say various phrases like “I’m here for you”, acknowledging their feelings about the situation, and listening non-judgmentally. It’s refraining from questions that place the blame on survivors such as “what were you wearing?” and “why were you over there?”. You can show your support by asking how you can support them in the future and offering to connect them to resources.

Why pins?

It’s our way of publicly showing support for survivors and creating an openly supportive environment where survivors can feel like they can speak. We are ending the cycle of silence, so that survivors can focus on healing.

If you’d like to publicly show your support of survivors with a social media graphic, pin, or sticker please visit: http://www.my-sisters-house.org/believesurvivors/