About These Resources
In observation of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, here are lists of:
- Select online scholarly resources sexual assault, rape, and sexual violence available through the University of Pennsylvania Libraries.
- Key go-to consumer health resources and local & national organizations for related information.
If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault, interpersonal violence, sexual violence, relationship violence, sexual harassment, stalking, etc, please contact Penn Violence Prevention and/or the Penn Women's Center. Both of these are resource centers located at the University of Pennsylvania.
Select Open Access Research Publications by Penn Authors
Scholarly Commons is the University of Pennsylvania's open access repository, which students, staff, and faculty are welcome to contribute to. Scholarly Commons is currently managed by the Penn Libraries. Here is a curated selection of multidisciplinary sexual assault-related research published by the Penn community.
- Jackson, S., Bailey, M., & Foucault Welles, B. (2019). Women Tweet on Violence: From #YesAllWomen to #MeToo. Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology, (15), https://doi.org/10.5399/uo/ada.2019.15.6 At the time of publication, author Sarah Jackson was affiliated with Northeastern University. Currently, she is a faculty member at the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
Highlighted Collection of Relevant Online Resources Available Through Penn Libraries
This is a highlighted collection of online journals, databases, and books available to you to use via the Penn Libraries.
- Violence & Abuse Abstracts. 1971- A smallish but focused bibliographic database covering family violence, sexual assault, emotional abuse, child maltreatment, and other topics.
Encyclopedia of Rape and Sexual Violence [2 Volumes] by
This two-volume set provides an authoritative overview of rape and other forms of sexual violence, containing the latest information about victims and perpetrators; events, laws, and trends related to sexual violence; and attitudes toward it. This encyclopedia will help readers to develop a deeper understanding of rape and other forms of sexual violence in the United States and around the world. Content illuminates all aspects of this serious issue, including the forms of trauma experienced by survivors/victims; different types of rape, from incest to acquaintance rape to prison rape; specific cases, events, and controversies; laws, policies, movements, and organizations pertaining to the issue; and legal, political, and cultural contributors to rape and other forms of sexual violence. Encyclopedia of Rape and Sexual Violence follows an A-Z format, but instead of comprising brief overview entries, it features twenty chapters, each of which is a long-form entry that covers key perspectives, laws, court cases, and statistics on survivors/victims and perpetrators. Leading scholars' and activists' perspectives on the subject add depth to the information provided; the set also includes a selection of essential primary documents. * Explains the many types of rape and sexual violence * Discusses what organizations and nations are doing to help victims and survivors and to convict perpetrators, and provides insights into what has worked and what has failed--and why * Covers sexual violence committed globally against people of all genders and ages and in a variety of conditions, including prisons, nursing homes, over the internet, and in wartime, so that readers may understand the universality of the issue * Covers both U.S. and international topics in primary documents including testimonies from rape victims given before the US Senate in relation to violence in the military, scandals in gymnastics, and human trafficking; documents concerning corrective hate in South Africa and those forced into sexual slavery by ISIS; and legislation such as the Clery Act and Title IX
ISBN: 9781440844898Publication Date: 2018-05-03
For Health Care, Social Service, and Law Enforcement Professionals by
558 pages, 204 images, 97 contributorsFor the safety of survivors, and in support of their professional caretakers, Sexual Assault Quick Reference offers comprehensive, accessible guidelines for responding to sexual assault, wherever it occurs.The revised second edition of Sexual Assault Quick Reference provides updated information on a variety of subjects, all in the same convenient format, including chapters on the physical and forensic evaluation of patients across the life span, identifying and treating STIs (based on the CDC's 2015 Treatment Guidelines), mental health care for survivors and vicariously traumatized practitioners, and the investigation and prosecution of sexual violence.
ISBN: 9781936590445Publication Date: 2016-01-15
Handbook of Sexual Assault and Sexual Assault Prevention by
This timely handbook provides in-depth overviews of the myriad and multi-faceted issues surrounding sexual assault and its pervasiveness in today's culture. Drawing for multiple viewpoints and experts, the book is divided into seven comprehensive sections, covering such topics as risk factors, varying theoretical frameworks, prevention and intervention, and special populations. Within these sections the authors provide historical background as well as the latest research, and offer treatment outcomes and potentials.Selected topics covered in this book include: Feminist theories of sexual assault Social and economic factors surrounding sexual violence Mental, physiological, physical, and functional health concerns of victims, including PTSD Major categories of sexual offenders Treatment of sexual assault survivors in the LGBTQ+ community Procedural processes related to sexual assault investigation and adjudication within the criminal justice system The Handbook of Sexual Assault and Sexual Assault Prevention is a vital book that will appeal to a broad spectrum of students, researchers, practitioners, and clinicians in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, community mental health, and sociology.
ISBN: 9783030236441Publication Date: 2019-11-06
The Rape of Childhood by
The Rape of Childhood: Development, Clinical, and Sociocultural Aspects of Childhood Sexual Abuse details the dark realm of childhood sexual abuse. While lived experience, memory, subjectivity, and affect cannot be classified into neat categories, this collection is divided into four core sections--epidemiology, emotional sequelae, psychoanalytic insight, and ameliorative strategies--to provide a thorough description of childhood abuse. The contributors examine the variables that increase a child's vulnerability to maltreatment, including age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors, and outline the various emotional and behavioral consequences of childhood sexual abuse. This collection is essential reading for therapists working to help formerly abused children to learn how to love, be loved, and care about themselves.
ISBN: 9781498587839Publication Date: 2018-10-15
Working with the Trauma of Rape and Sexual Violence by
The trauma caused by rape and sexual assault can often be further compounded by unthinking or insensitive comments from people who may judge, disbelieve or disparage the victim. This authoritative resource draws together advice for all people in the helping professions on how to work with victims of rape and sexual violence. The wide-ranging topics cover the effects of rape, male rape, childhood sexual abuse, sex trafficking and prostitution, and sexually transmitted infections, giving best practice advice on how to offer effective and compassionate support to help survivors.
ISBN: 9781784503758Publication Date: 2016-11-21
Related Consumer Health Resources
If you are looking for easier-to-read health materials, please consider this list of related consumer health information.
Relevant Organizations in the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area
Relevant National and International Organizations
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 (in the US) 24/7 to reach a crisis counselor. This service is also available to residents in the UK (85258) and Canada (686868).
National Domestic Violence Hotline: Advocates are available 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) in more than 200 languages or chat online.