CPPD Personally Invested in Sexual Assault Prevention

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- The Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) headquarters staff attended all hands training April 4 to talk about a topic of high interest to the command -- sexual assault awareness, prevention and response.

The CPPD team is highly dedicated to stopping sexual assault and has worked since 2011 to develop Sexual Assault Prevention and Response-Leaders (SAPR-L), SAPR-Fleet (SAPR-F) training videos and facilitation guidance.

"This training isn't simply a 'check in the box' for us at CPPD -- we're personally vested in its success," said CPPD Executive Director Doug Kibbey. "We've put massive energy and countless hours into SAPR training products that we believe are moving the needle toward a Navy-wide climate that refuses to tolerate any behaviors on the continuum of harm that could lead to a sexual assault."

This year's Navy Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM) campaign focuses on courage, and CPPD headquarters is holding two training sessions in April for its staff in order to cover all five themes of SAAPM. Senior Chief Interior Communications Electrician Claudia Seawright, CPPD SAPR point of contact and course manager for Bystander Intervention (BI), conducted the all hands training attended by military and civilian employees.

The first week's theme of "Courage to learn" included a discussion on the continuum of harm.

"We've learned through SAPR-L/F and BI training the types of behaviors on the continuum of harm -- things like sexual innuendos, inappropriate jokes and unwelcome touching," said Seawright. "While it may seem easier to keep quiet rather than confront someone about inappropriate behavior, we now know that staying silent can be interpreted as the behavior being OK. But it's not OK."

The facts presented in SAAPM training include points such as sexual assault being a Navy problem rather than solely a male/female problem, 80 percent of allegations are Sailor-on-Sailor, and approximately 80 percent of unwanted sexual contact incidents in the Navy go unreported.

Seawright said that while it's important to know the facts, it's just as important for Sailors to know the process of how to report a sexual assault, including a victim's reporting options.

"I remember how different things were when I first joined the Navy in comparison to how they are now," said Seawright, who has been a Sailor for 23 years. "Back then, no one thought about speaking up about inappropriate behaviors, and if someone did speak up or file a report of sexual assault, that person was often re-victimized. Now we are aware of the extent of the problem and are taking steps to stop it in its infancy stage before it can grow."

The theme for week two of SAAPM is "Courage to prevent." Among the facts discussed in this segment were that most sexual assault incidents occur during the weekend, alcohol often plays a role, and sexual assault affects trust throughout an organization.

"CPPD leads the way in training the fleet in personal and professional development that helps Sailors think critically, act responsibly and lead proactively," said Seawright. "Sexual assault and alcohol abuse prevention are part of how we teach Sailors to be strong in moral courage and to do the right thing, no matter how difficult."

Sailors come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and it can be challenging to train people on shared values, said Seawright.

"We are a military melting pot that emphasizes Navy core values and an environment of professionalism, respect and trust," she said.

CPPD is responsible for providing a wide range of personal and professional development courses and materials, including General Military Training, Navy instructor training, alcohol and drug awareness program training, suicide and sexual assault prevention, bystander intervention, and personal responsibility classes. CPPD's required leadership training is delivered multiple times throughout a Sailor's career via command-delivered enlisted leadership training material and officer leadership courses in a schoolhouse setting. CPPD also administers the Navy's voluntary education program, which provides Sailors with the opportunity to earn college degrees. CPPD additionally manages the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP), which offers Sailors the opportunity to earn civilian apprenticeship certifications.

Sexual Assault Prevention and Response is an important element of the readiness area of the 21st Century Sailor and Marine initiative which consolidates a set of objectives and policies, new and existing, to maximize Sailor and Marine personal readiness, build resiliency and hone the most combat-effective force in the history of the Navy and Marine Corps. The Department of the Navy is working to aggressively to prevent sexual assaults, to support sexual assault victims, and to hold offenders accountable.

Help raise awareness by joining the conversation on social media using #SexualAssault and #SAAPM.

For more information about the Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD), visit: https://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/cppd/.