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DEFINITION OF SEXUAL ABUSE:
Sexual assault is forced, manipulated or coerced sexual contact. It includes rape, child sexual abuse, same-sex assault, acquaintance rape, drug facilitated rape, harassment and marital rape.
Rape is not about uncontrollable sexual urges; it is an attack to inflict physical and emotional violence and humiliation on the victim. The perpetrator exerts power and control over the victim using sex as a weapon.
Anyone can be a victim of sexual assault. Women, men, and children of all ages, races, income levels, levels of education, and from all types of neighborhoods can be victimized.
Sexual assault is a physical assault. It is important not to minimize the emotinal abuse in some instances such as inappropriate conversations held in the prescence of children. It is abuse when an adult shares and intimate experince with them. Some fmilies expose each other by not being fully dressed or leaving the doors to the bedroom open while changing. All of these acts make other people feel uncomfortable and therefore are inappropriate. In any situation, it is imortant to have good boundaries and help all people in you prescence feel comfortable.
Think about coming into SASA and talking to an advocate about the situations that you are uncomfortable with. If you are a parent and need some help in protecting your children, we are here to help you.
TACTICS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT:
- Exposure
- Voyeurism (Peeping)
- Unwanted Touching
- Forced to Strip
- Forced to Watch Other Have Sex
- Sexual Harassment
- Child Molestation
- Incest
- Acquaintance/Date Rape
- Marital Rape
- Oral or Anal Sex
- Forced Sexual Intercourse
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS:
Sexual assault is surrounded by myths and misconceptions that create doubt and disbelief in the place of much needed belief and support for victims.
EFFECTS:
Many victims fear they will be killed or permanently disfigured during a sexual assault, even if such actions are not threatened. Perpetrators will use whatever level of violence necessary to achieve their goal. It is often said the whatever you did to survive was perfect. Most often following an assault, the victims have a list of "what they should have done instead". It is important to remember that you did everything you could in that moment.
Rape victims may feel a wide variety of emotions after the physical assault has ended.
These include: fear, guilt, disbelief, numbness, anger, grief, depression, and a loss of control over their lives.
Some common common concerns reported by victims of sexual violence include:
- Family and friends finding out about the assault
- Being blamed or found responsible for the assault
- Her name being made public in the news media
- Becoming pregnant
- Contracting a sexually transmitted disease
- Contracting HIV/AIDS
YOUR REACTION TO SEXUAL ASSAULT:
There are many reasons why people don't fight back when they are sexually assaulted.
When people are afraid, in shock, or caught by surprise, their bodies respond in all kinds of ways. They may freeze, laugh, go along with it, or they may go somewhere else in their minds. Whatever you did to get out of the situation was okay.
Feeling guilt or blaming yourself is a normal response. it is an effort to gain some control over a situation that was uncontrollable.
THIS WAS NOT YOUR FAULT.
If you are the victim of a rape, then you are experiencing a life crisis. Like many crisis victims, you will experience feelings that are not within the normal scope of emotions.
No matter what the situation, remember...
YOU ARE THE VICTIM. NO ONE DESERVES TO BE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED. NO ONE.
STATISTICS:
1 of 6 U.S. women and 1 of 33 U.S. men has experienced an attempted or complete rape in their lifetime. (National Violence Against Women Survey, “Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women,” November 1998)
Of the nearly 650,000 adult women living in Nebraska, over 84,000 have been raped at least once in their lives. (Kilpatrick & Ruggiero, Rape in Nebraska: A Report to the State, 2003)
Between 70% and 85% of all rapes are committed by an “acquaintance” – someone known to the victim. (National Victim Center & Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center. “Rape in America: A report to the Nation.” Arlington, VA: National Victim Center, 1992)
CALL SASA IF YOU HAVE BEEN THE VICTIM OF SEXUAL ASSAULT. WE ARE HERE TO HELP.
SASA HOTLINE – (402)463-4677
CALLS ARE ANSWERED 24-HOURS A DAY.
Information compiled from: Nebraska Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Coalition
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