BY SANDRA GUY

As news headlines proclaim daily allegations of long-silenced sexual assaults and harassment — many tinged with racial and ethnic prejudice — it seems appropriate that April is deemed Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

Age-old myths, assumptions and stereotypes about women and sexual assaults and unwelcome comments won’t disappear overnight.

But heightened awareness, and women’s increasing willingness to call out inappropriate behavior, aim to upend mistaken conventional ideas and ultimately, punish abusers and harassers.

First, sexual harassment and assault are acts of violence. The perpetrator can be anyone, and the inappropriate behavior can happen to anyone.

Indeed, many victims know their attacker or harasser, and they can be taken by surprise when the perpetrator suddenly grabs, kisses or otherwise physically touches them inappropriately, or says something inappropriate with sexual overtones. Silence doesn’t equal consent.

The victim may be at a workplace-sponsored event or even in the workplace, and be stunned and uncertain about how to deal with the situation, especially if one’s boss is the perpetrator.

So how can you protect yourself?

The typical answer is to report harassment to the human resources department. But so many people have been rebuffed by their employer or compliance officer, it’s necessary to consider stronger responses. It may be necessary to file a complaint with a government agency, the police and/or discuss the incident in the legacy media or on social media.

The Biden administration has said it will revise Title IX — the federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity that receives federal funding — to bolster protections for sexual assault and harassment victims.

If you’ve been assaulted, call the police and go to a hospital emergency room for medical care. Ask the doctor to record injuries and insist that you undergo all the necessary tests to complete a rape or sexual assault kit so that the police have the evidence on file. Don’t disturb any potential evidence.

Seek counseling to figure out how to prosecute or hold accountable the attacker or harasser and to help you deal with the breach of trust and respect.

Know that your reaction can have an impact for good, and perhaps for the longterm.

A New York Times analysis in 2019, one year after the #MeToo movement started in earnest, 920 people had reported sexual misconduct by 200 prominent men who then lost their jobs. Nearly half of those men had been replaced or were succeeded by women, the analysis showed.