What is Sexual Assault?
What is Sexual Assault/Abuse?
Sexual assault is a broad term that encompasses a variety of abusive actions. Sexual assault is oppressive and demeaning in nature and is best described as a sexual expression of aggression, control, and/or power inequality.
Sexual Assault/Abuse includes unwanted, unwelcome, and/or non-consensual sexual jokes, cat calls, obsene phone calls, voyerism (pepping tom), exhibitionism (flasher), sexual photgraohing or videotaping, forced touching in a sexual manner, forcing someone to engage in sexual touch, coerced and/or forced sexual intercourse, sometimes with added physical violence. Sexual Assault/Abuse can happen to anyone regardless of race, socio-economic statusm sexual preference, age, and/or gender. Sexual Assualt/Abuse can be male on female, male on male, female on female, or female on male. Acts of sexual violence can fall into one or more of the following:
Stranger Rape: This occurs between a victim and one or more perpetrators who are not known by the victim. Frequently this type of rape involves the use of force and/or threat of harm by physical violence (beating, use of weapons, etc.)
Power Rape: Sometimes known as date rape or acquaintance rape this occurs between a victim and perpetrator(s) woh are acquainted in some manner, and usually involves a violation of trust. THE KEY IS THAT SEXUAL INTERCOURSE OCCURS WITHOUT THE VICTIM'S CONSENT. the perpetrator(s) may use threats of harm, coercion, mental incapacitation of the victim using alcohol and/or drugs, or physical force to overcome the victim.
Partner/Spouse Rape: This occurs between a victim and her/his spouse/partner. Similar to power rape, the perpetrator may use threat of harm, ocercion, mental incapcitation of the victim, or physical force to overcome the victim. THE KEY IS THAT SEXUAL INTERCOURSE OCCURS WITHOUT THE VICTIM'S CONSENT.
Child Sexual Abuse: is any situation in which an adult or someone significantly older than the victim threatens, forces or manipulates a child into sexual activity. many offenders don't need to use physical force with children. Instead they take advantage of their position of trust and/or authority. Child sexual abuse includes sextual intercourse, sexual contact, including through cloting: exposing one's sexual organs in an offensive, sexually suggestive or othewise inappropriate manner, inappropriate touching, engaging in activites related to child pornography prostitution by minors, permitting, encouraging or forcing a child to watch sexual activites of others; allowing others to sexually abuse/exploit a child; encouraging or forcing a child to engage in sexual activity with any person or with animals, encouraging or forcing a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct.
