Sexual Assault
For Coloradans, 1 in 3 people experience some form of sexual violence in their life, 80% of which take place prior to the age of 25. Sexual violence happens in every community and affects people of all genders and ages. Sexual violence is any type of unwanted sexual contact. This includes words and actions of a sexual nature against a person’s will and without their consent. A person may use force, threats, manipulation, or coercion to commit sexual violence.
Types of Sexual Violence
Sexual Assault
The term sexual assault refers to sexual contact or behavior that occurs without explicit consent of the victim. Some forms of sexual assault include:
Attempted rape
Fondling or unwanted sexual touching
Forcing a victim to perform sexual acts, such as oral sex or penetrating the perpetrator’s body
Penetration of the victim’s body, also known as rape
Child Sexual Abuse
When a perpetrator intentionally harms a minor physically, psychologically, sexually, or by acts of neglect, the crime is known as child abuse. This page focuses specifically on child sexual abuse and the warning signs that this crime may be occurring. Some forms of child sexual abuse include (but are not limited to):
Exhibitionism, or exposing oneself to a minor. Fondling. Intercourse. Masturbation in the presence of a minor or forcing the minor to masturbate
Obscene conversations, phone calls, text messages, or digital interaction. Producing, owning, or sharing pornographic images or movies of children
Sex of any kind with a minor, including vaginal, oral, or anal. Sex trafficking
Intimate Partner Sexual Violence
Intimate partner sexual violence often starts with controlling behavior that can escalate to further emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.
Warning Signs of abuse include a partner who:
Attempts to cut you off from friends and family. Is extremely jealous or upset if you spend time away from them. Insults you, puts you down, says that you can never do anything right
Tries to prevent you from attending work or school. Tries to prevent you from making decisions for yourself. Destroys your property, attempts to harm your pets. Threatens to harm your children or take them away from you. Tells you that you are worthless and that no one else could ever love you. Controls your finances
Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault
Drug-facilitated sexual assault occurs when alcohol or drugs are used to compromise an individual's ability to consent to sexual activity. These substances make it easier for a perpetrator to commit sexual assault because they lower inhibitions, reduce a person’s ability to resist, and can prevent them from remembering details of the assault. Drug-facilitated sexual assault can take a variety of forms.
Drug-facilitated sexual assault can look like:
Coercing/pressuring someone beyond their comfort zone to ingest more drugs or alcohol or different substances than they are comfortable with.
Ignoring or refusing to help someone who says they’ve had too much to drink or is having a negative drug experience and needs help.
Initiating sexual contact with someone because they are intoxicated, and less likely to resist. Refusing to tell someone what is in their drink or the type of dosage of drug they are ingesting.
Sexual Assault Can Happen Within The Family
Incest
The term incest refers to sexual contact between family members. It can be difficult for an individual to disclose sexual assault or abuse when they know the perpetrator. It can be especially difficult if the perpetrator is a family member.
What can keep a victim of sexual abuse by a family member from telling someone?
They may care about the abuser and be afraid of what will happen to the abuser if they tell.
They may also be concerned about other family members' reactions, fearing they won’t be believed or will be accused of doing something wrong.
They may have already tried to tell someone what happened, but the abuse was ignored or minimized.
They have been told by the perpetrator that what is happening is normal or happens in every family, and they don’t realize that it is a form of abuse.
They may not know that help is available, or they don’t know who to trust.
They may be afraid of getting in trouble for telling, or that the abuser will follow through with threats.
Let’s look at some more specific types of sexual violence.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature in the workplace or learning environment. Sexual harassment does not always have to be specifically about sexual behavior or directed at a specific person. For example, negative comments about a person as a group may be a form of sexual harassment.
Sexual Assault of Men and Boys
Sexual assault can happen to anyone, no matter your age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Men and boys who have been sexually assaulted or abused may have many of the same feelings and reactions as other survivors of sexual assault, but they may also face some additional challenges because of social attitudes and stereotypes about men and masculinity.
National Statistics
1 in 4 women in the United States reported completed or attempted rape victimization at some point in their lifetime.
About 1 in 9 men in the United States reported sexual coercion victimization during his lifetime.
48% of women and 23% of men in the United States reported unwanted sexual contact victimization.
In their lifetimes, 56% of female victims were raped by an acquaintance, 39% by an intimate partner, 16% by a family member, 12% by a stranger, 10% by a brief encounter, and 4% by a person of authority.
77% of male victims reported having only male perpetrators, 10% had only female perpetrators, and 10% had both male and female perpetrators.
More than 4 in 5 female rape victims reported that they were first raped before age 25 and almost half were first raped as a minor.
To read more, go to The National Intimate Partner & Sexual Violence Survey.
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