What is sexual assault?
Sexual assault is defined as any sex act against your will, without your consent, or when you are unable to freely give consent. It is not a sexual act; it is a violent crime.
Rape is defined as any sex act involving the penetration of any body opening by any object, that is against your will, without your consent, or when you are unable to freely give consent.
Rape and attempted rape are forms of sexual assault, but it also includes other completed or attempted attacks involving unwanted sexual contact.
In most sexual assaults, no weapon is used except for force. Force can include, but is not limited to: the use of verbal, physical or emotional pressure or manipulation, alcohol and drugs, threats, blackmail, intimidation, abuse of power, or coercion. A person can not freely give consent if they are unconscious, intoxicated, high, underage, scared, forced, bound/gagged, intimidated, coerced, mentally impaired, beaten, threatened, isolated, use of a weapon, and/or physically impaired.
Sexual violence does not discriminate and it is never the victim’s fault.
Sexual violence is often used as a way to hurt, humiliate or gain control over someone else. These actions are committed by boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, acquaintances, family, lovers, partners, and strangers. It affects people of all ages, races, genders, sexualities, and abilities. Just because you have been intimate with a person in the past does not give them the right to sexually assault you.
Even though sexual assault is often associated with women, men and children of all ages also experience unwanted sexual contact. People are most at risk between 12-34 years of age, with risk peaking in the late teens.
Many survivors of sexual assault suffer in silence, never reporting it to the police. This happens for many different reasons, including feelings of shame, guilt, or fear of reprisal from their attacker. Many people sexually assaulted as children do not tell anyone or get help until they are adults. Often, many offenders never go to jail. But it is an illegal act that is punishable through the criminal justice courts and the University's Honor System.
Deciding to tell someone about the assault might be hard, but is also can be empowering. If you come forward, you will be believed.