Strategies To Reduce Risk & Increase Safety
Everyone deserves to feel safe. Explore RAINN’s practical steps for planning ahead, setting boundaries, and navigating uncertain situations with confidence.
Staying safer means recognizing the reality that sexual violence can affect anyone—but together, we can fight back by taking action to reduce risk and increase safety for everyone.
“Safer” vs. “Safety”
Nothing you do can guarantee anyone’s safety. That’s why, at RAINN, we talk about “safer strategies”—not “safety strategies.” RAINN’s safer strategies emphasize awareness education as a powerful tool for reducing the risk of sexual violence and powering prevention.
The More You Know, the Better You Can Help
We can keep ourselves and each other safer when we strengthen our understanding. RAINN’s awareness education equips people with the knowledge, language, and confidence to prevent harm before it happens—and respond effectively when it does.
Awareness Education…
- Increases recognition of warning signs. Education helps people spot grooming tactics, manipulation, coercion, and boundary violations early—before they escalate into abuse.
- Builds confidence in setting and respecting boundaries. When we normalize open communication about consent, comfort, and limits, we reduce the likelihood of harm and misunderstandings.
- Teaches practical prevention strategies. These include personal safety tips, strategies for reducing online and real-life vulnerabilities, and guidance on building support networks.
- Promotes bystander intervention. When people learn how to step in or seek help safely, they’re more likely to act—and that action can stop harm in real time.
- Shifts harmful norms. Education challenges myths, rejects victim-blaming attitudes, and combats stereotypes about sexual violence, helping to build a culture rooted in respect, empathy, and justice.
RAINN’s Safer Strategies
Learn to recognize risky situations, set boundaries, intervene when needed, and seek help if something happens.
Stay Safer by Understanding Risk Factors
Learn the risk factors for sexual violence, how to mitigate risk, and what steps you can take to keep yourself and your community safer.
Stay Safer on Social Media
Discover tips for protecting your privacy, managing risks, reporting harassment, and creating a secure online presence on social media.
Tips for Safer Dating: Online & IRL
You deserve fun and consensual dating experiences—online and in-person. Reduce your risk and learn what to do if someone hurts you.
How To Use the Sex Offender Registry
Public sex offender registries can help you identify unsafe people and protect at-risk members of your community.
Tips for Safer Ridesharing
RAINN and Uber teamed up to provide tips for safer rideshare experiences. Learn to reduce the risk of experiencing sexual violence while driving or riding.
Travel Safer: Practical Tips To Reduce Risk
Travelers aren’t immune to the risk of sexual violence. These tips can help you stay safer so you can travel with confidence.
Safety Planning for Survivors of Assault, Harassment, & Stalking
Safety planning involves preparing to get safe, stay safe, and feel safe. It can include planning for a future crisis, considering your options, and deciding your next steps.
If Someone Is Pressuring or Coercing You
Feeling pressured or coerced to engage in sexual activity? RAINN’s tips can help you recognize coercion, trust your instincts, get to safety, and find support.
I want to learn more about…
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you are not alone. RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support in English and en Español.
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