Sexual assault is an unfortunate reality that occurs in Northern Colorado.

In our state, one in four women, one in six men, and one in two transgender people will undergo attempted or complete sexual assault in their lifetime.

Thankfully, SAVA, or the Sexual Assault Victim Advocate Center, is here to help anyone who needs it.

Founded in 2003, the center provides crisis intervention, advocacy, and counseling for anyone who is affected by sexual violence in Northern Colorado.

"[Sexual assault] is a spectrum. Basically it is anything that happens to somebody that occurs without consent," said Dorothy Farrel, executive director of SAVA. "It could be anything from a slap on the butt when you're walking down the hallway in school...to sexting...all the way up to full blown rape."

Unfortunately, the aftermath of a sexual assault is not an easy road. The victim will often experience a loss of control, triggers, PTSD, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

In fact, someone is 33% more likely to attempt or commit suicide if they have been sexually assaulted.

But, no matter what state someone is in following their sexual assault, SAVA is always ready to provide support.

"People are more than welcome to walk in anytime...we have counseling for anybody that's interested in doing work on their trauma," said Farrel. "We don't want [there] to be any financial barriers for counseling so we do that on a sliding scale."

The center also has an extensive prevention program, which educates middle and high school students about consent, what assault is, and how to stop it from happening.

To learn more about SAVA, sexual assault, and how to prevent it, listen to the full "Tuned In to NoCo" interview with Dorothy Farrel below.

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