Mission

Our Mission

We are a movement creating a world free from sexual violence and building communities to support survivors.

We envision a world free of sexual violence where where all survivors are supported as they heal from trauma.

Our Fundamental Beliefs

  • We do not base our support of survivors on whether or not they have filed a police report or obtained a guilty verdict
    • The legal system is flawed and most perpetrators are not found guilty by a court of law
    • 975 of every 1000 sexual violence perpetrators will not see jail or prison time.
    • To ignore survivors who have not received legal justice overlooks the vast majority of sexual violence survivors
  • We do not accuse anyone who comes forward of falsifying their story, no matter what the public opinion is online
    • Changes in details and lapses memory are normal after sexual violence. This does not mean the survivor is making up what happened.
    • All people, regardless of gender or other identity, can experience sexual violence.

We use gender neutral language unless we are addressing an individual or group of individuals where gender is relevant to the discussion

  • We do not pressure or guilt anyone into reporting.
  • We do not force survivors into care and avoid doing so at all costs.
  • We encourage survivors to seek out whatever physical or mental healthcare support they need, while acknowledging that there are systemic barriers to care.
  • Survivors have had their control taken from them, they deserve to have control.
  • Some perpetrators have a history of sexual violence against them
  • While their experiences are valid, in order to keep other, non-perpetrating survivors safe, this is not the space for them
  • Trauma is not compared or labeled as “worse” or “better”
  • Individuals have their own “Big T” and “Little T” trauma’s, but no one else gets to rank your own trauma
  • Deciding what happens to our own body is a fundamental pillar of consent
  • Everyone, whether or not they have been sexually assaulted, deserves to have control over their body and decide what does or does not happen to it
  • We are careful when we discuss “safety tips”, because that language can put the burden on survivors rather than the perpetrators
  • We try to avoid using the passive voice
    • Ex: “He assaulted him” rather than “He was assaulted”
  • A survivor is not responsible for stopping their perpetrator
    • They are not guilty for not reporting the assault
  • PAVE is dedicated to anti-racism: we have an active stance of calling out racism and promoting racial equity
  • Discrimination against people based on their racial identity or ethnicity is a form of sexualized violence
  • We have a zero tolerance policy regarding any form of racial or ethnic discrimination from community members and organizations we partner with
  • We have a zero tolerance policy regarding transphobia, homophobia, or any other form of discrimination from community members and organizations we partner with
  • DEIA is more than just an acronym, but a guiding principle for PAVE.
  • DEIA means constant learning, constant growing, and constant progress. PAVE is dedicated to the constant work required when it comes to creating and fostering an equitable workplace.
  • Survivors deserve content created with intent and care by real human beings.
  • Generative AI is often built using the content of others without their consent.