Resistance training: what it is and what it does

The person who commits a sexual assault is entirely responsible for it. Nothing in this guide changes that. This guide explains what resistance training is and what the research found about one well-studied program, so you can decide whether it's something you'd like to try.

What resistance training is

• The CDC lists empowerment-based training for women as one way to prevent sexual violence. It sits alongside other approaches, such as bystander training, involving men and boys as allies, and teaching healthy relationship skills [1].
• Researchers agree that preventing sexual violence takes many approaches together. These include stopping perpetration and holding perpetrators accountable, giving people the knowledge and skills to act on their own behalf, and helping bystanders step in and support survivors [2].
• Resistance training is one option among many. It isn't something you owe anyone, and choosing not to take it doesn't make you responsible for what someone else does.

What the EAAA program involves

EAAA stands for Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act. It's also known as Flip the Script with EAAA [4].

• It runs for 12 hours in total [1], in four group sessions led by women facilitators [2].
• It teaches you how to recognize risk from people you know, push past the feelings that can make it hard to admit something is wrong, and use verbal and physical strategies to get away [1, 2].
• It also covers relationships and positive sexuality [2].
• The program's own script says that perpetrators are entirely responsible for their behavior [2].

What the research found

• In a rigorous study of Canadian college women, those who took EAAA were 50.4% less likely than a comparison group to experience rape or attempted rape in the following year. Their risk of attempted sexual coercion and unwanted sexual contact was also lower [1].
• The benefits lasted at least two years [2].
• Women who took part became more willing and more confident to use self-defense strategies [2].
• People sometimes worry that programs like this teach women to blame themselves. Here, participants actually became less likely to believe that women provoke or are responsible for rape, and that change lasted [2]. Women who were raped after taking the program blamed themselves less [2].
• It worked both for women who had been raped before and for women who had not [2].

The CDC also notes limits. Not every program of this type works equally well, few have been tested with diverse groups, and results depend on how well a program is run [1].

Who the program was designed for

EAAA was designed for women of all sexual identities [2]. The SARE Centre, the charity that supports the program, describes it as designed for self-identified women aged 17 to 24, and there is a separate version for younger girls [4]. The research here comes from women in that group. That doesn't mean others can't benefit, only that these results tell us about the people who were studied.

How to find a program

• Colleges and community organizations run the program with support from the SARE Centre [4].
• In the US, sites the SARE Centre lists include Florida Atlantic University, Stanford University, the US Air Force Academy, and the Fleet and Family Support Center at Naval Air Station Pensacola [3].
• If your school isn't listed, ask your college's health or prevention office whether they offer it. You can also email the SARE Centre at info@sarecentre.org to find out [3].

How it fits with other prevention

Bystanders are present during the assault itself in no more than 17% of cases [2], although more assaults have an earlier moment when someone could step in (23% in one study). That's why researchers suggest combining bystander programs with programs that build people's skills to act on their own behalf [2]. Programs that teach men not to cause harm have also reduced perpetration on campus [2]. Resistance training works best as one part of all of this.

If something already happened

It is not your fault, whether or not you've ever taken a program like this, and whatever you did in the moment. The person who caused harm is responsible [2].

Where to get help

• RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800.656.HOPE (4673), or text HOPE to 64673, 24/7
• loveisrespect (dating abuse, for young people): 866-331-9474, or text LOVEIS to 22522
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, 24/7
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741, 24/7
• In an emergency, call 911
• More options are on our Need help now page.