Module 11
How Accurate Language About Sexual Assault Supports Victims in the Criminal Justice System

Educate Your Colleagues and Other Criminal Justice Professionals About the Importance of Accurate Language When Talking and Writing About Sexual Violence

Now that you have become aware of the kind of language that distorts accuracy in talking and writing about sexual violence, you will see that kind of language everywhere. There are resources to assist you in bringing this information to your colleagues and other criminal justice professionals.

  • Rape or “Seduced”? How Language Helps Shape Our Response to Sexual Violence is an online model curriculum developed by the National Judicial Education Program of Legal Momentum and available free at http://www.legalmomentum.org/raped-or-seduced-how-language-helps-shape-our-response-sexual-violence. It includes a Faculty Manual and Exercises as well as a PowerPoint presentation. It is a model intended to be presented by others and adapted to utilize examples from local media reports and other sources.
  • Effective Report Writing: Using the Language of Non-Consensual Sex was developed by EVAWI (End Violence Against Women International) by law enforcement officers for law enforcement officers. It is on online training available at http://www.evawintl.org/library/DocumentLibraryHandler.ashx?id=43. Its Course Objectives include “Using the language of non-consensual sex and creating accurate ‘word pictures’.” If you have a good relationship with your local law enforcement agencies you can bring this valuable resource to their attention.

 

Next
Previous

This module will be available to you as soon as you complete Module 1. To complete a module, you must read each of the lessons and complete the review quiz at the end.

It is important to finish Module 1 so that you have sufficient context for the rest of the program. After that, you'll have full access to jump between lessons however works best for you.

Tip: In the left sidebar, you'll notice a vertical bar of squares. Each square represents a lesson in that module. You can see at a glance which lessons you've done (brightly colored) and which ones you have not (gray).

Return to Module 1