Sexual Assault

DEMONSTRATION INITIATIVE
Enhancing Sexual Assault Services

Online resources for survivors

Websites and Resources

Offering Support and Help
The following resources are intended to provide online support through the use of forums, chat
rooms, self-help and general resources to survivors of sexual violence. These resources are
organized by the following: peer support, military service members and veterans, male survivors,
culturally specific online support and support for partners of sexual abuse survivors. Sexual
Assault Programs should review these resources to become familiar with them before offering
recommendations to survivors. Understanding the importance of internet safety and privacy
(Internet Safety Online Resource Collection, National Sexual Violence Resource Center:
www.nsvrc.org/projects/internet-safety-online-resource-collection) will also help to educate and
advocate for a safer virtual world as part of your program’s efforts to provide resources to survivors
of sexual violence.

PEER ONLINE SUPPORT

AARDVARC: AN ABUSE, RAPE, DOMESTIC ABUSED SURVIVORS YAHOO GROUP
VIOLENCE AID AND RESOURCE CENTER http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/
http://www.aardvarc.org AbusedSurvivors/info?yguid=96177377
This website is devoted to providing information This support group has been formed to offer an
and resources for survivors, their families and outstretched hand to adult survivors of abuse
friends, and agencies and programs which (physical, verbal, emotional or sexual abuse).
serve them. Started and run by survivors, topics This is an active group that requires you to
include: sexual assault, stalking and domestic join (for free) for membership approval for the
violence. security and privacy of all members.

National Sexual Violence Resource Center l (877)739-3895 l [email protected] l www.nsvrc.org/projects/sadi

National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project l (515) 244-7424 l [email protected] l www.resourcesharingproject.org
ADULT SURVIVORS OF CHILD ABUSE (ASCA) support and encouragement while working
http://www.ascasupport.org/ through issues of recovering from childhood
forumEmeetings.php & adolescent sexual abuse. For safety, this is a
moderated group.
Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (ASCA SM)
is an international self-help support group
program designed specifically for adult AFTER SILENCE
survivors of neglect, physical, sexual, and/or http://aftersilence.org
emotional abuse. The ASCA SM program offers
En Espanol:
community-based self-help support groups,
http://www.aftersilence.org/espanol.php
provider-based self-help support groups, web-
based self-help support groups, and survivor to After Silence seeks to support, empower,
thriver workbooks. validate, and educate survivors of rape, sexual
abuse and all types of sexual violence by
providing a website where victims can find
ADULT FEMALES MOLESTED AS CHILDREN answers and support about sexual violence.
BY OTHER FEMALES YAHOO GROUP After Silence provides a free and moderated
This group is for adult females who were online support group, chat room, and message
molested as children by at least one female board with over 30 different forums ranging
perpetrator. It is intended to provide a from topics created to discuss specific areas
space to share support and encouragement of healing and recovery form rape and sexual
while working through issues of recovering violence to more general discussions and
from childhood & adolescent sexual abuses lighter topics. Survivors can connect with one
perpetrated by females. For safety, this is a another in real time, share their stories, and ask
moderated group. questions of each other. After Silence website
can also be viewed in Spanish language.

ADULTS MOLESTED AS CHILDREN (AMAC)

YAHOO GROUP A LONG WALK HOME
This list is open to adults (18 & over ONLY) http://www.alongwalkhome.org
who were molested as children. This group A Long Walk Home (ALWH) uses art therapy
intends to provide an environment of support, and the visual and performing arts to end
confidentiality, and safety to explore feelings, violence against girls and women. ALWH
mourn violation, gather strength and celebrate features the testimonies and art by survivors
survival. For safety, this is a moderated group. and their allies in order to provide safe and
entertaining forums through which the public
ADULTS MOLESTED AS CHILDREN (AMAC) can learn about healing from and preventing
FOR FEMALES YAHOO GROUP gender-based violence.

This list is open to adult female AMACs, (18 &

over ONLY) who were molested as children.
It is intended to provide a space to share

2  Support and Help For Survivors

COMPASSIONATE CREATIONS DANCING IN THE DARKNESS
http://compassionatecreations.cfsites.org/ http://www.dancinginthedarkness.com
index.php This website provides a place for survivors to
Compassionate Creations is a loosely connected share their stories through a message board.
group of survivors of sexual violence who It also provides a list of links to other helpful
desire to offer comfort and support to recent websites for survivors, including resources for
victims. Anyone whose life has been affected by survivors available in multiple languages.
sexual assault or abuse is welcome to crochet
or knit a scarf that will be given to a survivor of
END THE SILENCE
sexual violence when they enter the hospital for
emergency treatment or at their initial meeting http://endthesilencecampaign.wordpress.com
with a counselor at the rape crisis center. End the Silence is an online forum for prose,
Compassionate Creations is Massachusetts poetry, and visual art dedicated to ending the
chapter of Threads of Compassion. silence surrounding sexual violence. Their
mission is to promote communication about
sexual violence by empowering survivors and

Online Resources  3
their loved ones to use creative expressions as dedicated to those who suffer from post-
a tool to reclaim their voices. traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), those at risk
for PTSD, and those who care for traumatized
individuals. The website develops and
FORT REFUGE
disseminates educational material, including
http://www.fortrefuge.com/ videotapes, articles, books, and other resources
Fort Refuge is a community of abuse survivors including trauma support resources and an
offering peer support through online chats and email pen-pal support network.
forums. Fort Refuge also offers a library with
resources to help confront some of the difficult
INCEST RESOURCES, INC.
issues faced by abuse survivors, as well as the
opportunity to give support to others. http://www.incestresourcesinc.org
This non-profit organization is operated solely
by survivors and volunteers. The website offers
GIFT FROM WITHIN
various educational resources to survivors and
http://www.giftfromwithin.org/ professionals by mail for a minimal charge.
Gift from Within is a non-profit organization

4  Support and Help For Survivors

ISURVIVE SURVIVORS CHAT
http://www.isurvive.org/ http://www.survivorschat.com/
A volunteer-driven organization and team Survivors Chat is a community providing a
composed of people from all around the world, place where survivors can come together
the mission is to reach out and offer hope to through chats, forums, resources and Tumblr to
child abuse survivors. Open and private forums help support each other and in times of need.
and resources are available to adult survivors of
child sexual abuse and their loved ones.
SURVIVOR’S NETWORK OF THOSE ABUSED
BY PRIESTS (SNAP)
PANDORA’S PROJECT http://www.snapnetwork.org
http://www.pandys.org SNAP is an independent network of survivors of
Pandora’s Project offers peer support to religious sexual abuse and their supporters who
anyone who has been a victim of rape, sexual connect with other survivors and work to create
assault, or sexual abuse through their online policies and practices to end sexual abuse.
message board, chat room and blogs at
Pandora’s Aquarium. The rape and sexual abuse
THE VOICES AND FACES PROJECT
online support group has specific forums for
men and women, teens and older survivors, http://www.voicesandfaces.org
LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, The Voices and Faces Project is a documentary
and queer/questioning) rape and sexual abuse initiative created to bring the names, faces
survivors, and friends and family of survivors. and stories of survivors of sexual violence and
Pandora’s Project also provides a resource list trafficking to the attention of the public. It
for International Crisis Centers and Hotlines offers a speakers bureau, additional websites
(http://www.pandys.org/crisissupport.html). for resources, sexual violence survivor story
archive, and a series of documentary and
creative projects—including the country’s first
STIGMA, INC.
creative writing workshop for survivors of
http://www.stigmatized.org/ sexual and domestic violence and trafficking.
Stigma, Inc. provides support group for
individuals conceived by rape or incest and for
VOICES OF COURAGE
women who have been pregnant by assault or
(FREE E-BOOK AND AUDIO BOOK)
are raising rape or incest conceived children.
The website offers an email support list, a chat http://www.datesafeproject.org/voices-of-
room, optional contacts to obtain support, and courage-book/
information and general support. In addition, Voices of Courage include chapters written by
for site visitors who are supporting or want 12 survivors sharing personal stories of their
to support a loved one conceived by or rape resiliency of surviving sexual violence.
or incest, Stigma, Inc. offers an email list for
general information and support.

Online Resources  5
7 CUPS OF TEA MALE SURVIVORS
https://www.7cupsoftea.com/ ADULTS MOLESTED AS CHILDREN (AMAC)
7 Cups of Tea is an online emotional support FOR MALES YAHOO GROUP
service. Through a “secure, anonymous This group is intended to provide a space to
bridging technology” service is available 24/7 share support and encouragement with other
and accessible to anyone worldwide, by IM male survivors. It offers an environment of
chat or phone. Connections to listeners are support, confidentiality, and safety to explore
private, one-on-one conversations initiated on feelings, mourn violation, gather strength
demand. Listeners only know what is disclosed and celebrate survival. For safety, this is a
to them by the person they are helping. Contact moderated group.
information used to connect the call or chat is
kept strictly confidential.

6  Support and Help For Survivors

MALE SURVIVOR
http://www.malesurvivor.org
Male Survivor provides resources and support
for men who were sexually victimized as
children, adolescents, or adults.

MALE SURVIVORS TRUST

http://malesurvivorstrust.org.uk/index.htm
This website provides a collection of resources
and a web forum for male survivors of child
sexual abuse or adult rape. Male Survivors Trust
is an internationally renowned agency providing
training and resources to agencies around
the UK. Support is offered to male survivors
throughout the world.
THE BRISTLECONE PROJECT
https://1in6.org/men/bristlecone/
This is a project of 1in6 that supports male
survivors to provide their portraits, biographies
and stories of healing.

for veterans to share experiences and obtain

1 IN 6 resources about sexual violence.
https://1in6.org
The mission of 1in6 is to help men who have MY DUTY
had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in http://www.myduty.mil/
childhood live healthier, happier lives. 1in6 also
My Duty is an online resource for service men
provides information and support resources
and women who have experienced sexual
on the web and in the community for family
violence or who know someone who has
members, friends, partners and professionals.
experienced sexual violence.

MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS

SAFE HELPROOM
AND VETERANS
https://www.safehelpline.org/
MAKE THE CONNECTION
Safe HelpRoom allows sexual assault survivors
http://maketheconnection.net/conditions/
in the military to connect with and support
military-sexual-trauma
one another in a moderated and secure online
Make the Connection is an online resource group chat environment.

Online Resources  7
SERVICE WOMEN’S ACTION NETWORK opportunities, and survivor empowerment
(SWAN) through the arts.
http://servicewomen.org
Service Women Action Network’s (SWAN) MINNESOTA INDIAN WOMEN’S SEXUAL
mission is to transform military culture by ASSAULT COALITION
securing equal opportunity and freedom to http://www.miwsac.org
serve without discrimination, harassment or
Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault
assault; and to reform veterans’ services to
Coalition’s provides online resources and
ensure high quality health care and benefits for
additional links to helpful information. Their
women veterans and their families.
mission is to create awareness and build
resources to influence social change and
CULTURALLY SPECIFIC reclaim traditional values of Native women.
ARTE SANA
http://www.arte-sana.com/ BLACK SEXUAL ABUSE SURVIVORS
Arte Sana provides bilingual training on sexual http://www.blacksurvivors.org/home.html
assault, cyber advocacy and survivor activism Is an online support system for African-

8  Support and Help For Survivors

Americans providing general resources, healing PARTNERS OF SEXUAL ABUSE SURVIVORS
resources, and an online community board for POSITIVE PARTNERS OF SURVIVORS
black adult sexual abuse survivors.
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/
positivepartnersofsurvivors/info
CENTER FOR THE PACIFIC ASIAN FAMILY This message board is to support individuals
(CPAF) who are partners of sexual abuse survivors.
http://www.nurturingchange.org/
Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF) was SUPPORT FOR PARTNERS
founded to help address domestic violence and
http://www.supportforpartners.org/
sexual assault in the Asian and Pacific Islander
communities. Their mission is to build healthy Support for Partners provides support for
and safe communities by addressing the root partners of those who have been sexually
causes and the consequences of family violence abused as children. This website provides
and violence against women. Their site is
offered in ten different languages.

THE GLBT NATIONAL HELP CENTER

http://www.glnh.org/
GLBT National Help Center provides free and
confidential telephone and internet peer-
counseling, information, and local resources for
LGBTQ callers throughout the U.S.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF ASIAN AND

PACIFIC ISLANDERS ENDING SEXUAL
VIOLENCE (NAPIESV)
http://www.napiesv.org
The National Organization of Asian and Pacific
Islanders Ending Sexual Violence (NAPIESV)
provides support to local/community-based
programs and governmental organizations
in enhancing their services to victims of
sexual violence from the Asian and Pacific
Islander communities nationally and in the U.S.
territories.

Online Resources  9
an online forum and a library of resources “confidential and secure” online messaging
to develop skills that help partners in their service that provides live help through this
relationships and provide information about website to LGTBQ youth. TrevorChat is only
abuse and its effects. intended to assist those who are not at risk
for suicide. The site also offers TrevorSpace
(https://www.trevorspace.org/) a social
YOUTH AND HEALTH SEXUALITY
networking site for LGTBQ youth ages 13
YOUR LIFE YOUR VOICE through 24 and their friends and allies.
http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org
Your Life Your Voice provides online forums, THE LINE CAMPAIGN
live chats, and hotline support for youth who
http://whereisyourline.org
have experienced sexual violence. The website
also offers additional self-help and self-care The Line Campaign empowers young leaders
resources. to create a world without sexual violence. This
campaign creates dialogues around sexuality,
relationships, consent and sexual violence
ASK TREVOR by using film, social media, and community
Ask Trevor offers TrevorChat — a free, building.

10  Support and Help For Survivors

ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH
www.advocatesforyouth.org
Advocates for Youth works to help young
people make informed and responsible
decisions about their reproductive and sexual
health.

ANSWER
http://answer.rutgers.edu
Answer is a national organization dedicated to
providing and promoting comprehensive sexual
education to young people and the adults who
teach them.

THE CONSENSUAL PROJECT

www.theconsensualproject.com
discuss healthy relationships and sexuality for
The Consensual Project partners with schools
teens.
and universities to bring programming
on consent to students. The curriculum,
workshops, and website empower young people SCARLATEEN
to incorporate consent into their daily lives. www.scarelateen.com
Scarelateen is a grassroots sexuality education
I WANNA KNOW and support organization and website that
www.iwannaknow.org provide sex education and sexuality advice to
youth and the adults in their lives.
Iwannaknow.org, by the American Social Health
Association (ASHA), offers information on
sexual health, sexually transmitted infections STAY TEEN
(STIs), and healthy relationships for teens. www.stayteen.org
Stayteen.org offers information on sex,
RELATIONSHIP STATUS relationships and contraception for teens.
http://www.vtnetwork.org/wp-content/
uploads/Healthy-Relationships-Web-Version. SEX, ETC.
pdf
www.sexetc.org
This online booklet by the Vermont Network
Sex, Etc. is part of the Teen-to-Teen Sexuality
Against Domestic and Sexual Violence uses
Education Project developed by Answer, a
comic book illustrations and activities to

Online Resources  11
 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
RAPE, ABUSE AND INCEST NATIONAL
NETWORK (RAINN)
http://www.rainn.org
RAINN provides the national hotline for sexual
violence survivors (1-800-656-HOPE) as well as
provides a website with information on topics
related to sexual assault. RAINN also provides
confidential crisis counseling online for rape
and sexual abuse survivors in the U.S. and
internationally.

national organization dedicated to providing

About this publication
and promoting comprehensive sexuality The content of this publication may be
education to young people and the adults in reprinted with the following acknowledgement:
their lives. This material was reprinted, with permission,
from The National Sexual Assault Coalition
Resource Sharing Project and the National
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Sexual Violence Resource Center’s publication
www.noplacelikehome.org entitled Online resources for survivors: Websites
This resource provides relevant, age- and Resources Offering Support and Help. This
appropriate sexuality information, and guide is available by visiting www.nsvrc.org
communication hints for parents. Based on
Planned Parenthood’s There’s No Place Like
This resource is part of a National Sexual
Home…For Sex Education, this resource is
Assault Demonstration Initiative. The Sexual
available in Spanish and has been adapted for
Assault Demonstration Initiative (SADI) is
Native American Communities.
the first large-scale project to address the
challenges dual/multi-service programs face in
reaching sexual assault survivors by dedicating
resources, support, and replicable tools tailored
specifically to the needs of those programs.

This publication is supported by Grant No. 2009-TA-AX-K011 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of
Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.

© The National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project and National Sexual Violence Resource Center 2014. All rights reserved.