Stay informed. What is sexual violence? Who can be a victim of sexual abuse? What kind of people commit sexual assaults? Keep reading to learn more.

What is sexual violence?

Sexual violence occurs any time a person is forced, coerced, and/or manipulated into any unwanted sexual activity. Force is not just physical force or violence, but includes physical and verbal pressure, tricks, bribes, and threats.

Examples of sexual violence

Verbal (comments, threats, notes, technology-e-mail, text messages, graffiti, phone calls, etc.)
Physical (contact w/sexual parts of the body)
Non-physical (stalking, staring)

Sexual violence also includes sexual exploitation, sexual contact, sexual harassment, exposure, human trafficking and voyeurism. Labels like date rape, partner rape, acquaintance rape, non-consensual sex, and marital rape might sound like the offense is less harmful, but it is not. They are all violent and are all rape.

Image Guide

This is a guide you can use for image sizes when creating images for specific areas of the site:

Image Guide

Sexual abuse can happen to anyone regardless of age, status or gender. Stay informed and get the facts about sexual abuse.

Victimization

Anyone can be a victim of sexual abuse – females, males, adults, teens, children, babies – regardless of income level or ethnic background. No one knows exactly how many people are sexually abused because abuse is often not reported. However, it is estimated that one in four girls and one in six boys will report being sexually assaulted before they turn 18.

Perpetrators

People who commit sexual assaults do not look a certain way. We think of them as being so different from us that they could not possibly be in our workplaces, neighborhoods and community events. The majority people who commit sexual assault are regular people who may be married with children and hold regular jobs or attend college. They are also family members, co-workers, friends and acquaintances.

Offenders can be male or female and may be well-liked by other people. Strangers do commit sexual assaults, but 75% of the time victims/survivors of sexual assault know their perpetrators. People who perpetuate sexual assaults are motivated by the need to control, humiliate, and harm. They are not motivated by sexual desire.

Sexual abuse can happen to anyone regardless of age, status or gender. Stay informed and get the facts about sexual abuse.

Example small headline style

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam eget felis bibendum, congue velit id, viverra odio. Nunc nec elit sit amet velit vestibulum mattis.

Button Text