Sexual Assault: What It Is, What Consent Means, and Where to Get Help

Sexual assault is any sexual activity, contact or experience that happens without a person's consent, that is, when they have not agreed to it. It is also called sexual violence or sexual abuse. It can involve:

• physical force or threats of force
• sexual coercion: being pressured, tricked, threatened or forced in a nonphysical way into feeling that sex is owed
• alcohol or drugs, including date rape drugs

Sexual assault affects millions of people every year, and anyone can be a victim. Many victims are first assaulted in childhood. Most are girls and women, but many boys and men are victims too. If you have been sexually assaulted, it is never your fault. It is something that was done to you.

What sexual assault includes

Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual activity:

• With physical contact: anything from sexual touching or kissing to rape or attempted rape.
• Without physical contact, in person, online or by text, such as:
• • "flashing," or exhibitionism: someone showing their genitals without asking permission
  • being forced to look at sexual images or pose for sexual photos
  • receiving unwanted sexual photos or messages
  • voyeurism: someone watching private sexual acts without permission
  • sexual threats, or sexual harassment: ongoing unwelcome sexual comments, requests for sexual favors or other sexual behavior

What consent means

Consent means clearly and freely saying "yes" to sexual activity. Someone giving consent knows and understands what is happening, can say what they do and do not want to do, is not underage, and is not being pressured or tricked.

Consent is not:

• silence. Not saying "no" is not saying "yes."
• having said yes before. Past agreement does not cover all future sexual activity, even when dating or in a long-term relationship.
• not fighting back against an attacker.

A person cannot consent if they are:

• drugged, drunk, passed out or asleep
• mentally unable to consent because of illness or disability
• underage (the legal age of consent varies by state)
• sexually coerced. Agreeing under pressure is not consent. Pressure can mean abusing power (a boss threatening someone's job), threatening to hurt people they care about, making false promises of reward, threatening to end a relationship or spread rumors, or wearing them down by constantly asking or making them feel guilty or obligated.

Who commits sexual assault

Both men and women commit sexual assault. It may be a stranger, but more often it is someone the victim knows: a friend or acquaintance, a coworker, a neighbor, a family member, or a current or former partner, including a spouse.

Effects on health

Sexual assault can affect health and well-being for a lifetime.

• Physical: bruises or genital injuries, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy, and ongoing problems with female reproductive health, digestion, the heart and sexual health.
• Psychological: depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Victims are more likely to smoke, have an alcohol use disorder, use illegal drugs and engage in risky sexual behavior. Girls who experience sexual violence are more likely to experience intimate partner violence as adults.

If you have been assaulted

• If you are in danger or need medical care, call 911. If you can, get away from the person who assaulted you and go somewhere safe as quickly as possible.
• Call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) to reach a sexual assault service provider near you who can point you to local help.
• Getting support may help you cope and lessen long-term effects. Victim services such as rape crisis centers can offer a safe, healing place.
• Treatments such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) have been shown to help victims cope with depression, anxiety and PTSD.

Staying safer

Sexual assault is never the victim's fault, and no one who has been assaulted should be blamed for anything they did or did not do. Still, some steps may help you stay safer around others:

• Go to parties with friends and look out for one another. If a friend seems drunk or drugged, get them somewhere safe. Plan how you will get home.
• Keep hold of your drink; someone could add alcohol or a drug without your knowing.
• Meet new people in public places the first time.
• Trust your instincts. If someone makes you uncomfortable, leave.
• Stay aware of your surroundings. When walking alone, keep to busy, well-lit areas and skip the headphones so you can hear what is around you.

Sources

• MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), "Sexual Assault," based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://medlineplus.gov/sexualassault.html