The Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) is marking the 20th Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), celebrated in April of 2021, by engaging with survivors in the community and promoting public awareness about sexual violence and online sexual harassment and abuse.

Throughout the month, the MAPS Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault team will host a series of small, closed virtual conversations with survivors of sexual assault, offering them a safe space to share stories of strength and resilience.

On social media, the health and social services organization will be raising awareness of online sexual harassment and abuse, following the lead of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), founders and promoters of the SAAM.

“We want to remind our community of the importance of preventing online abuse and trauma by highlighting the need for consent in every sexual relationship, even digital ones,” said Dulce Ferreira, MA, MAPS Director of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services. “When someone is informed and educated about the dynamics of sexual violence, they are better prepared to prevent it by calling out unacceptable behaviors, online or otherwise.”

MAPS, a longtime member of Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, provides culturally and linguistically competent assistance to survivors of domestic and sexual violence through its offices in Cambridge (617-864-7600), Somerville (617-764-2091), Brighton (617-787-0557), Dorchester (617-825-5897), Framingham (508-872-2652) and Lowell (978-970-1250).