From Delilah Rumberg, CEO, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape/National Sexual Violence Resource Center and member, NO MORE Steering Committee:

Domestic violence and sexual assault are extremely prevalent in our society, yet their high incidence rate and the devastation they cause aren’t widely discussed. This violence is life-altering and can cause a wide range of serious medical and mental health issues, including depression, post traumatic stress disorder, and difficulties with trust and feeling safe. Unfortunately, many of these symptoms are compounded by silence and secrecy. Often, survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault do not speak out about their experiences because they are ashamed, feel guilty or blame themselves. Some survivors keep silent out of a sense of duty to family or fear of being ostracized for what happened to them.

The best way to reduce the incidence of domestic violence and sexual assault and help survivors is to talk about the issues and, as a society, to put our collective energies together to focus on solutions. That’s exactly what the NO MORE campaign is doing. As NO MORE unifies organizations and individuals behind a recognizable visual symbol for domestic violence and sexual assault, so too is it helping increase the national dialogue about these important social issues. Together, we can use our collective voice to challenge public attitudes, raise public awareness, and effect critical changes in public policy, protocols and responses to domestic violence and sexual assault. Partnerships are transformative and the key to creating social change, and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center is proud to be a participant and supporter of the NO MORE campaign.