- Sexual assault comes in countless forms—all of which occur without explicit consent of the victim. Sex without affirmative and ongoing consent is rape.
- A victim of sexual assault can have any—or no—relationship with the perpetrator.
- Like domestic violence, sexual assault is a crime of power and control.
- Common forms of sexual assault include:
- Penetrations of the victim’s body (rape)
- Attempted rape
- Forcing a victim to perform sex acts (such as oral sex or penetrating the perpetrator’s body)
- Fondling or unwanted touching.
- Perpetrators of sexual assault can employ many forms of force, including (but not limited to):
- Physical pressure
- Emotional coercion
- Psychological force
- Manipulation
- Threats
- Intimidation tactics
- The majority of perpetrators of sexual assault are persons who are known to their victims
- Rape can occur between strangers (known as “stranger rape”) or between individuals who know each other (known as “acquaintance rape”)
- It is vital to remember that the victim is never to blame for the actions of the perpetrator
