Rape Prevention and Education: Using The Best Available Evidence for Sexual Violence Prevention

The overarching purpose of the Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) program is to prevent sexual violence (SV) perpetration and victimization. The NOFO will advance this goal by using a public health approach to decreasing SV risk factors and increasing SV protective factors through the implementation and evaluation of prevention strategies based on the best available evidence across multiple levels of the Social Ecological Model (SEM). State and territorial health departments (SHDs), as the NOFO recipients, will be responsible for the overarching management and implementation of the RPE program at the state level. SHDs will work with their sub-recipients, including SV coalitions, rape crisis centers, NGOs, CBOs, local health departments, educational institutions and other stakeholders to implement and evaluate SV prevention programs, practices, and policy efforts. As a result of this NOFO, community and environmental improvements are expected related to providing opportunities to empower and support girls and women, creating protective environments, and promoting social norms that protect against violence. These changes are expected to culminate in increases in protective factors and decreases in risk factors related to SV, ultimately leading to decreasing the rates of SV perpetration and victimization.