Nowadays, social media networking sites are being used extensively by people and groups to spread information, and the Navy is no exception.

The Naval Service Training Command (NTSC) is spreading awareness regarding sexual assault, as the Navy observes April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), through social media.

Lt. Tanisha Thorpe, NSTC Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) coordinator, shared: “We wanted to reach as many people as possible in our domain and thought using NSTC’s social media and web pages would be the most effective means of getting information out… We also felt it would have the least disruption to the daily training operation and routine for NSTC’s Sailors, Marines and staff members.”

Among the things that Thorpe and NTSC headquarters staff members have done is to produce videos that emphasize the four complementary weekly themes for SAAM: “Hurts One,” “Affects All,” “Prevention is Everyone’s Duty,” and “We Will Not Tolerate Sexual Assault.” They also produced various video spots, such as public service announcements that will be uploaded onto the NTSC social media and web sites.

Thorpe shared further: “The training items we are providing online are geared toward our current active duty Navy and Marine Corps students and staffers… Our NJROTC units are welcome to view the training we are providing, but this training isn’t mandatory for the cadets.”

Michael Prelich, NSTC’s administration officer and security manager, shared: “I believe it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure that it (sexual assault) doesn’t happen… And I think everyone should be aware all year, every year.”