OPINION: Creating a network to support New Mexican sexual assault survivors

No other place values community and connection quite like New Mexico. Strong, healthy communities are built and sustained through connection, and healing from sexual assault is no different.

At the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, we never want a sexual assault survivor in New Mexico to be without support. But the reality is that more than 76% of New Mexicans affected by sexual assault are not making it to help resources.

That’s why we have come together to intentionally and thoughtfully build a new layer of support for survivors wherever they are in our state — through the New Mexico Sexual Assault Helpline.

The NMSA Helpline is accessible 24/7 by phone, text and online chat. Survivors can call 1-844-667-2457 or access the helpline at www.nmsahelp.org. It has been built by New Mexicans for everyone in New Mexico to give survivors anonymous, confidential connection and support. The Helpline has been designed with language accessibility options and bilingual staff and interpretation services are available for those seeking services in languages other than English.

New Mexico is home to many dedicated and trained professionals who have spent decades providing support and care to survivors of sexual assault. They do the critical work of responding to survivors when they reach out and connect them to the support and services they need and deserve. While this network of sexual assault service providers works hard to address survivor needs, New Mexico is a geographically large and isolated state where many survivors still lack access to the care needed to heal from the impact of sexual trauma.

During COVID-19 in 2020, the new dynamic of isolation created immense challenges. Isolated survivors were without their support systems, their families and communities, and distance from rural communities to sexual assault services seemed to grow wider. The pandemic revealed the need for a layer of statewide coordination to ensure that survivors across N.M. had access to services and connection to support. In partnership with providers and agencies, we took on this complex challenge and began taking thoughtful steps to build a solution that would work for New Mexico’s unique communities.

For survivors in need of support, the helpline builds a bridge between the network of existing services by connecting them to a fellow New Mexican trained to listen and connect. We have built the helpline for all to call or text or chat because the truth of the matter is that for too many people who experience sexual assault, the nearest provider could be hours away, and survivors need help right where they are.

The helpline is a free statewide, survivor-centered support system built to help meet the need and connect New Mexicans to someone trained to listen, with zero pressure to do or say anything they don’t want to.

We are incredibly proud to bring this resource to New Mexico. Let’s build connection for survivors in New Mexico. Save the number and the website. Share it with your friends and family. This service is here for you, wherever you are.

Visit us at www.nmsahelp.org or call 1-844-667-2457.

Alexandria Taylor is the executive director of the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Providers. NMCSAP provides education, support, and advocacy to address all aspects of preventing and responding to sexual violence in N.M. from an anti-racist, anti-oppression foundation.