Survivor Shield is an emerging local nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about and taking action against sexual violence, as well as supporting survivors. 

“We prioritize destigmitization through legislative action,”  said Jake Martin, the president of Survivor Shield and a freshman at UA majoring in history. “What that looks like is we try to pass legislation through city, state and national governments that focus on establishing committees, putting resources towards shelters for survivors, and new programs for survivors.”

Currently, Martin is working on a bill that would establish a committee that would focus on the crime of sexual assault. Martin has a meeting planned with city councilman Richard Fimbres to discuss this resolution.

“It’s really important, especially in Tucson, because Tucson has the highest violent sexual assault rate out of any city in the state and out of almost any city in the country,” Martin said. ”To put it in perspective, Maricopa County has a violent sexual assault rate of roughly 14 percent. Tucson’s is 36.”

These statistics are why Survivor Shield is primarily focused on legislative action being taken at a local level. To increase local awareness about this organization and the issues it advocates for, Survivor Shield participates in a variety of events across the Tucson community.

“We focus on getting the word out through community outreach programs,” Martin said. “I go to farmer’s markets a lot, we went to a county fair in Marana two weekends ago to hang up signs and posters and hand out pamphlets to people just about what the numbers look like and what our organization does.”

The group participates in events and fundraisers frequently, according to Martin. Students and community members can find information on upcoming events through the organization’s Instagram page. More information about the group and how to help can also be found on their website. 

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