Sexual Assualt Awareness Month starts in April and lasts all the way till the end. Sexual Assault Awareness is a campaign that aims to increase awareness about the causes and risk factors for sexual assault and empower individuals to take steps to prevent it in their communities. Sexual Assault Awareness Month first began in the 1970s when activists first began organizing on a national scale to reduce sexual assault and violence against women. The first rape crisis center in the U.S., Bay Area Women Against Rape, opened in 1971 to counsel the survivors and educate the community. In 2001, the first official Sexual Assault Awareness Month once again brought the issue into public consciousness and renew a national network of events and support groups that raise awareness and provide resources to survivors and those at risk. The Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network(RAINN) supports a network of over a thousand rape crisis centers.