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Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) is a month-long series of engagement opportunities hosted by the Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Office (SVSPO) in collaboration with SFU and FIC partners every January. The purpose of SAAM is to raise awareness about sexualized violence and to empower SFU and FIC students, faculty, staff, and administrators to engage with this complex topic in meaningful ways.
SAAM 2027: Boundaries Matter
Practicing healthy boundaries requires communication, curiosity, and consent. It involves checking in with ourselves and others, asking questions, and respecting people's limits, even when they differ from our own.
At the same time, boundaries do not exist in a vacuum. They are shaped by cultural contexts, social identities, power dynamics, personal experiences, attachment styles, and many other factors. These influences affect not only what feels respectful, safe, or appropriate to each person, but also whose boundaries are recognized, respected, and protected.
It is important to recognize that not everyone is equally empowered to set and maintain boundaries. Patriarchy and other systems of oppression create power imbalances that can make it more difficult for some people to express their needs, have their boundaries taken seriously, or expect those boundaries to be respected. When inequitable social norms reinforce the idea that some people's autonomy matters more than others, boundary violations become more likely and the conditions that enable sexualized violence are reinforced.
For this reason, creating healthy boundaries is both an individual and collective responsibility. By addressing barriers and power dynamics that make it harder for some people to have their boundaries recognized and upheld, we can foster relationships and communities where people can express their needs authentically and practice consent in meaningful and caring ways.