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Sexual Assault: What It Looks Like, How to Prevent It and Help Survivors Recover

 

Every 107 seconds, someone in America is sexually assaulted. The vast majority are adolescent women. Each of us can learn something and do something safely to make a huge difference to reduce risk, prevent trauma, and help more people heal.

While victims include men, adult women and children, sexual assault is most prevalent among women of high school and college age:

  • 91% of the victims of rape and sexual assault are female; 9% are male (1)
  • 44% of victims are under age 18 (high school age) (2)
  • 80% of victims are under age 30 (2)
  • 1 in 5 women are sexually assaulted while in college (1)
  • About 4 in 5 assaults are committed by a person known to the victim (2)

What Is Sexual Assault?

Sexual assault consists of any unwanted sexual touch. While it includes rape and groping, any “sexual contact or behavior that occurs without explicit consent” is sexual assault, says RAINN (The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network).

The degree of violence does not matter. Rape and drug-facilitated sexual assault are two of the most recognizable forms of sexual assault. But assault can also happen when someone rubs up against your body without your consent. It can happen with any uninvited touching or holding that violates your personal space and boundaries.

Placing Responsibility For Sexual Assault Where It Belongs

We need to question and challenge attitudes that blame the victim: “Oh, well what was she wearing? Was she drinking? Or did she lead him on?” This view comes from ignorance or misinformation and needs to change!

Sexual assault is in no way the victim’s fault. What a person is wearing, whether they are smiling, flirting, partying, or whether they are drunk or sober does not matter. Unless that person freely says ‘yes’ to sexual behavior, that behavior counts as assault.

Victims of assault need to know: You did nothing wrong in that moment. You just happened to be there. And then this person decided that your body was up for grabs.

The more attention and awareness we can bring to examine our biases around sexual assault,

 » Read more about: Sexual Assault: What It Looks Like, How to Prevent It and Help Survivors Recover  »

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