Sexual Violence Primary Prevention Beyond Risk: A Conceptual Framework for Strengths-Based Protective Factors.

Abstract

Drawing on feminist and queer theoretical perspectives, this article critiques the dominance of individualized, risk-focused frameworks in sexual violence primary prevention that obscure the structural and relational conditions shaping (un)safety. Strengths-based protective factors remain under-theorized in sexual violence and are often framed as tools to buffer against harm, rather than factors to cultivate community well-being. Interdisciplinary and community-led examples are explored to show how strength-based protective factors can transform sexual violence primary prevention. The authors argue for a reorientation of the field moving toward strength-based protective factors that prioritize the generative conditions that make sexual violence unimaginable.