Rape Prevention Education Grant
Sexual violence is any sexual activity where consent is not freely given. Sexual violence affects millions of people each year in the United States and can lead to serious health consequences, including mental health conditions, injury, and chronic physical health problems.
The goal of the RPE program is to strengthen sexual violence prevention efforts by focusing on primary prevention: preventing sexual violence before it occurs. It operates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and six U.S. territories. The CDC provides tools, training, and technical assistance to the RPE program to prevent sexual violence, reduce risk factors, enhance protective factors, promote best practices, analyze data, and evaluate prevention efforts.
With the RPE program, South Dakota hopes to lower sexual violence rates against everyone, but especially the target audiences of children, teens, young adults, and Native Americans.
Responding to Intimate Partner Violence Webinar Flyer
DOH-Approved Curriculum:
Rape Prevention Education Tools & Information
Effective program evaluation is a systematic way to improve and account for public health actions by involving procedures that are useful, feasible, ethical, and accurate. Several evaluation tools were developed to monitor and assess South Dakota RPE program activities:
To learn more about the South Dakota RPE Program please review the following documents:
Success Stories
Success Story: Sexual Violence Prevention Programming at SD Universities
The South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault, with support from the South Dakota Department of Health, brought sexual violence prevention programming to six South Dakota universities in 2023. More than 350 students, faculty, staff, and community members participated in programs focused on consent, bystander intervention, sexual assault prevention, and related topics, helping strengthen campus awareness, support, and connections to prevention resources.
Success Story: Lakota Youth Solstice Camp
The Lakota Youth Solstice Camp, supported by the South Dakota Department of Health and community partners, combines Lakota culture, storytelling, and violence prevention education to help youth build knowledge, confidence, and healthy relationship skills. In summer 2023, 127 youth ages 11–15 participated in three camps, where they learned about cultural traditions, healthy relationships, teen dating violence, and the importance of being a good relative.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds the South Dakota Rape Prevention Education (RPE) program. This funding is authorized through the Violence Against Women Act.