What is sexual assault?

Sexual assault and abuse is any type of sexual activity that you do not agree to, including:

inappropriate touching
vaginal, anal, or oral penetration
sexual intercourse that you say no to
rape
attempted rape
child molestation
Sexual assault can be verbal, visual, or anything that forces a person to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention. Examples of this are voyeurism (when someone watches private sexual acts), exhibitionism (when someone exposes him/herself in public), incest (sexual contact between family members), and sexual harassment. It can happen in different situations, by a stranger in an isolated place, on a date, or in the home by someone you know.

Rape is a common form of sexual assault. It is committed in many situations — on a date, by a friend or an acquaintance, or when you think you are alone. Educate yourself on “date rape” drugs. They can be slipped into a drink when a victim is not looking. Never leave your drink unattended — no matter where you are. Try to always be aware of your surroundings. Date rape drugs make a person unable to resist assault and can cause memory loss so the victim doesn’t know what happened.

What do I do if I've been sexually assaulted?

Take steps right away if you’ve been sexually assaulted.

Get away from the attacker to a safe place as fast as you can. Then call 911 or the police.
Call a friend or family member you trust. You also can call a crisis center or a hotline to talk with a counselor. One hotline is the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673). Feelings of shame, guilt, fear, and shock are normal. It is important to get counseling from a trusted professional.
Do not wash, comb, or clean any part of your body. Do not change clothes if possible, so the hospital staff can collect evidence. Do not touch or change anything at the scene of the assault.
Go to your nearest hospital emergency room as soon as possible. You need to be examined, treated for any injuries, and screened for possible sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or pregnancy. The doctor will collect evidence using a rape kit for fibers, hairs, saliva, semen, or clothing that the attacker may have left behind.
You or the hospital staff can call the police from the emergency room to file a report.
Ask the hospital staff about possible support groups you can attend right away.

How can I protect myself from being sexually assaulted?

There are things you can do to reduce your chances of being sexually assaulted. Follow these tips from the National Crime Prevention Council.

Be aware of your surroundings — who’s out there and what’s going on.
Walk with confidence. The more confident you look, the stronger you appear.
Don’t let drugs or alcohol cloud your judgment.
Be assertive — don’t let anyone violate your space.
Trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable in your surroundings, leave.
Don’t prop open self-locking doors.
Lock your door and your windows, even if you leave for just a few minutes.
Watch your keys. Don’t lend them. Don’t leave them. Don’t lose them. And don’t put your name and address on the key ring.
Watch out for unwanted visitors. Know who’s on the other side of the door before you open it.
Be wary of isolated spots, like underground garages, offices after business hours, and apartment laundry rooms.
Avoid walking or jogging alone, especially at night. Vary your route. Stay in well-traveled, well-lit areas.
Have your key ready to use before you reach the door — home, car, or work.
Park in well-lit areas and lock the car, even if you’ll only be gone a few minutes.
Drive on well-traveled streets, with doors and windows locked.
Never hitchhike or pick up a hitchhiker.
Keep your car in good shape with plenty of gas in the tank.
In case of car trouble, call for help on your cellular phone. If you don’t have a phone, put the hood up, lock the doors, and put a banner in the rear mirror that says, “Help. Call police.”
How can I help someone who has been sexually assaulted?
You can help someone who is abused or who has been assaulted by listening and offering comfort. Go with her or him to the police, the hospital, or to counseling. Reinforce the message that she or he is not at fault and that it is natural to feel angry and ashamed.

What is Rape?

"If the occurrence of rape were audible, its decibel level equal to its frequency, it would overpower our days and nights, interrupt our meals, our bedtime stories, howl behind our love-making, an insistent jackhammer of distress. We would demand an end to it. And if we failed to locate its source, we would condemn the whole structure. We would refuse to live under such conditions." - Patricia Weaver Francisco, Telling: A Memoir of Rape and Recovery

Dictionary Definitions

Rape: Sexual intercourse with a woman by a man without her consent and chiefly by force or deception. 

Statutory Rape: Sexual intercourse with a female who is below the statutory age of consent.

Consent: Compliance in or approval of what is done or proposed by another.


Different Kinds of Rape 

Stranger Rape: A person who the victim does not know rapes her. Example*: Rose, age 25, was accosted at knife point in a shopping mall parking lot and forced by a stranger into his car. He drove her to a rural area, raped her, stabbed her five times, set the car on fire, and left her. Although severely injured, she survived (*examples from The Rape Victim: Clinical & Community Intervention Koss & Harvey, 1991).

Acquaintance Rape: The victim knows her attacker, although he is not a close friend or family member. Example: Susan, age 23, went to the door of her house to find a man she recognized from one of her college classes. She opened the door to let him in the house, whereupon he threw her on the sofa and raped her.

Date Rape: The victim is dating the person who rapes her. Example: Diana, age 50, was vacationing in the Caribbean. She spent some of her time learning sailing and walking along the beach with a fellow guest. At a hotel dance, she danced with this man, and he asked her to walk outside. Once on the beach, this 6'4" man asked to have sex and forced her to cooperate by holding her down. Diana was too afraid to resist.

Multiple Rape (gang rape): The victim is raped by more than one man. Example: Ann, age 21, was at a friend's home with a group of her peers. There were three men, one other woman, and herself present. When the other woman left, the three men raped her.

Marital Rape: The victim is raped by her husband. Example: A woman recently had gynecological surgery. Two days after she came home from the hospital, her husband forced her to have sexual intercourse. This caused her to hemorrhage; she was re-hospitalized.

Myths and Facts about Sexual Assault

 

There still exist today a great number of myths about sexual assault. Often these myths are deeply rooted in culture, religion or the values of a dominant society. In order to eliminate sexual assault from our society, we must first dispel many of these myths. While not all myths can be discussed, a review of some of the more obvious is provided. We also acknowledge that males are victims of sexual assault, but at present, an overwhelming majority of victims are female, with males the offenders.

Myth - Sexual assault is a crime of passion or sex.
Fact - Sexual assault is a crime of violence with sexual activity used as the weapon.

Myth - Sexual assault happens to other women, not me.
Fact - Until we can eliminate sexual assault from society, no woman is free from violence.

Myth - Only young, beautiful women are sexually assaulted.
Fact - Age and beauty are not parameters for sexual assault. The youngest victim in Canada was a baby girl of 2 weeks; the oldest, a woman of 93.

Myth - Women say NO when they mean YES.
Fact - Everyone has the right to say YES or NO and to have that decision accepted and respected.

Myth - Women who are sexually assaulted must have "asked for it" by their behaviour or manner of dress.
Fact - Sexual assault is a crime of violence committed against someone's will, without their consent.

Myth - When sexually aroused to a certain degree, men lose control, and have to have it.
Fact - Studies of convicted offenders indicate the majority of sexual assaults are premeditated. The brain controls all our behaviour, including sexual urges.

Myth - Men who sexually assault are mentally or emotionally unbalanced.
Fact - Research indicates that most offenders are considered "normal" by friends, family and colleagues.

Myth - Typically, a sex offender is a stranger to the victim.
Fact - In 85-90% of sexual assault cases, offenders are known to the victim, and it's the issue of trust that develops on some level between two people that is so devastating to the victim when trust is broken.

Myth - A victim who shows no visible signs of injury hasn't been sexually assaulted.
Fact - Lack of broken bones or bruises does not indicate there is no sexual assault. Fighting back often results in more violence, and threats of violence or death often leave the victim no choice but to comply.

Myth - Women often cry rape falsely for reasons of revenge, pregnancy or to protect their reputations.
Fact - False accusations of rape actually occur even less than for other crimes.

More Facts About Sexual Assault

How common is sexual assault? The numbers below reflect Canadian statistics on sexual assault.

• A 1993 Statistics Canada survey found that one-half of all Canadian women have experienced at least one incident of sexual or physical violence. Almost 60% of these women were the targets of more than one such incident (Statistics Canada, "The Violence Against Women Survey," The Daily, November 18, 1993)

• A 1984 study found that one in four Canadian women will be sexually assaulted during her lifetime. Half of these assaults will be against women under the age of 16 (Diana Russell, Sexual Exploitation: Rape, Child Abuse and Workplace Harassment, California: Sage Publishing, 1984)

• For women with disabilities, these figures may be even higher. One study indicates that 83% of women with disabilities will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime. (D. Sobsey, "Sexual Offenses and Disabled Victims: Research and Practical Implications," Vis-A-Vis: A National Newsletter on Family Violence, 6, no. 4, Winter, 1988. Ottawa: Canadian Council on Social Development)

• According to Statistics Canada, only 6% of all sexual assaults are reported to police (W. DeKeseredy and K. Kelly, "The Incidence and Prevalence of Woman Abuse in Canadian University and College Dating Relationships: Results From a National Survey," Ottawa: Health Canada, 1993.)

• Of the women who are sexually assaulted , 69% are sexually assaulted by men known to them  -- dates, boyfriends, marital partners, friends, family members or neighbours. ( W. DeKeseredy and K. Kelly, "The Incidence and Prevalence of Woman Abuse in Canadian University and College Dating Relationships: Results From a National Survey," Ottawa : Health Canada , 1999)

• Most sexual assaults (60%) occur in a private home and the largest percentage of these (38%) occur in the victim's home (Lenskyj, 1992)

• The Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women found that 38% of sexually assaulted women were assaulted by their husbands, common-law partners or boyfriends. (Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women, 1993)

• Although sexual assault within relationships has been illegal in Canada since 1983 , few women report such incidents to police (Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women, 1993)

Thank you Education Wife Assault for the compilation of this statistical information. For more detailed information, please visit http://www.womanabuseprevention.com/html/sexual_assault.html

Creating A Safe Response

When someone comes to you for help and discloses that they have experienced sexual violence.

DO believe her. The violation she has been exposed to is often worse than she is describing.

DON'T react with disbelief, disgust or anger at what she tells you. But don't react passively either. Let her know you are concerned and that what has happened to her is wrong

DO tell her that it's not her fault. Nobody invites sexual assault or wants to be sexually assaulted

DO give her referral information to an agency that can assist her in her recovery

DO refer her to a hospital, clinic or doctor that can provide medical help and testing for unplanned pregnancy, HIV and sexually-transmitted disease

DO support and respect her choices. Her coping strategies have helped her to survive.

DO NOT give out advice ("If I were you, I'd."); DO help her explore options ("Does it help to talk about what happened?")

DO protect her confidentiality. Tell her this, too.

If she is still in contact with the perpetrator, DON'T minimize the danger to her. You can be a realty check. Tell her you are very much concerned for her safety

DO NOT encourage her dependence on you or become emotionally involved with her.

DON'T do nothing.

DO NOT advise, insist or coax her into any course of action. When she understands her options, she will be capable of deciding what to do for herself

DO NOT call the police against her wishes. Sexual assault cases are not always resolved through the criminal justice system. Many women do not want police involvement for various realistic reasons. Unless there is an immediate, escalating safety risk, police involvement is unnecessary

DO consult with colleagues in the wider community who may have expertise and be able to assist you in your response

(From The Centre for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence, 1998)

Preventing Sexual Abuse

This information was taken from the Canada Health Network

 

What is "sexual assault"? Is it like rape?

What do people mean when they talk about rape? "Rape" generally refers to intercourse or sexual penetration that has been forced on a person. Rape, however, is not a term found in Canadian law. In the [URL=javascript:launchWin('/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1048765765120&pagename=CHN-RCS/StaticContent/StaticContentBodyTemplateEn&c=StaticContent&lang=En','demo','500','400');]Criminal Code[/URL], rape has been replaced by the term "sexual assault". Sexual assault basically refers to any form of unwanted contact between individuals that is of a sexual nature. "Force", therefore, matters less than consent does.

Sexual assault can take place between intimates, dating partners, friends, acquaintances or strangers.

In fact, rapes committed by acquaintances of the victim are the most common forms of sexual assault, closely followed by sexual assaults by dating or other relationship partners (Klymchuk et al., 2000).

"Date rape" drugs

People who are known to a potential victim pose the greatest risk of sexually assaulting them. Parties and other social gatherings where drinking and/or drug use occur are settings in which many people like to shed their inhibitions. Alcohol, for example, has long been known as a "social lubricant" as many people feel more relaxed and socially adept when drinking. Today, however, new and serious threats are posed by "date rape drugs", which do far more than "loosen us up". On private dates, in clubs and at raves, these drugs have been increasingly used in sexual attacks on impaired and vulnerable victims. For this reason, many are also referred to as "predator drugs". They include:
Rohypnol (brand name - drug name Flunitrazepam) is a tranquilizer similar to, but much more potent than, Valium. Rohypnol has the power to render someone unconscious, and cause memory loss, muscle relaxation and weakness. Effects can occur within half an hour of dosage, and last many hours. Some victims of rohypnol-facilitated sexual assault have woken up in completely different locations from where they remember being hours before, with no memory of what took place in the intervening hours of lost consciousness.
GHB, or Liquid Ecstasy, has been called "the love drug". GHB is popular at raves and concerts as it creates in the user a sense of tranquility, enhanced sensuality, and loss of inhibition. The drug's effects can be very long-lasting, and in large doses, lead to spontaneous deep sleep.
Ketamine, an animal tranquilizer, can cause hallucinations, dissociation, and memory loss.

7 steps to prevent a sexual assault
  
  Trust your intuition. If you sense that a situation or person is dangerous, avoid the person or get out of the situation as soon as possible - safety is the most important issue.

Make sure that someone knows where you are at all times. Don't go off on your own, especially with new acquaintances or strangers.

Never leave a drink unattended or accept a drink or drugs from a stranger. Don't let substances impair your judgment or ability to act in your own best interest. Don't drink from punch bowls, or share drinks.

Know your own limits and state them very early on. Know that it is your perfect right to stop sexual activity at any time - if you're not feeling well, uncomfortable, afraid, or uncertain. Consent is given in the moment, and moments and minds can change.

Don't feel pressured to have sex in return for affection, gifts, dinner, or flowers. Guilt is no motivation to have sex, neither is wishing to be seen as a "nice girl" or "nice guy".

Be assertive. Take self-defense and assertiveness training courses. Learn how to project a confident physical and mental attitude. Remember, you are the only person in charge of your body.

Take extra steps to protect seniors, mentally and physically challenged people, children, and people who are mentally ill. People from these groups are more vulnerable and at greater risk across their lifetimes for sexual abuse and assault.
  
 
 
Other drugs that are perhaps better known may also be used to make people vulnerable to sexual assault:

Alcohol is a drug with sedating properties. Ingested in large amounts, alcohol can cause blood poisoning, brain and organic damage and even death
Hallucinogens (such as LSD, "magic" mushrooms)
Narcotics (these include prescription pain relievers)
"Aphrodisiacs", and
Sleeping pills or other prescription drugs
On their own, most of these drugs are powerful and can have negative side-effects. Some may have life-threatening consequences when taken even in small doses. When taken in combination with alcohol, even the most common of these drugs can produce unpredictable and dangerous - even deadly - results. Any substance that has the power to undermine a person's awareness, judgment and functioning can be used to facilitate sexual assault. Therefore, it's crucial to be very aware of what you are consuming, and what to do should you encounter any of these substances.

What to do if you suspect you have been drugged and sexually assaulted:

Move to a safe place, and if you are able, tell someone you trust immediately. Ask them to help you get medical attention or arrange on your own to get medical help, OR call the police or a rape support organization as soon as possible to report what has happened. They will advise you as to what you can do next.
If you can, take a sample of your drink or food with you to the medical facility to be tested. There, you can ask to be screened for drugs and examined for evidence of sexual assault. Following suspected assault or drugging, it's recommended you do not take anything that is not prescribed, or shower or bathe. Doing so may remove or degrade any evidence of the assault.
People who have been assaulted often feel ashamed, shocked, helpless and confused. They frequently incorrectly blame themselves. The experience can paralyze people, and cause them to keep what happened to themselves. It's important to share your experience with a sensitive and trained person who can help, and to consider reporting the crime to the police. You may not have been the only victim, and your report may help to prevent a future assault on someone else.

Sexual assaults occur much more frequently than we know. Unfortunately, under-reporting of these crimes presents a formidable obstacle to understanding the ature and extent of this problem. For example, researchers at Statistics Canada (2001) estimate that fewer than 10% of sexual assaults of people over 15 years of age are reported to Canadian police agencies, and only 1% of all date/acquaintance rapes ever come to the attention of law enforcement.

For more information or assistance:

To locate services near you, consult your community telephone directory. Normally, emergency contact numbers are provided in the first few pages. Some of these numbers may refer to the following services. Alternatively, you can search your yellow pages directory under these headings:

sexual assault or rape relief centres
women's and men's centres
crisis or help lines
victim serving organizations - often reached through police or provincial Attorney General offices
sexual abuse counseling centres
gay/lesbian/trans-gendered support organizations
physicians, health units or hospitals
mental health workers, such as counselors, psychologists, psychiatric nurses

In Canada, it's estimated that one out of every four women, and one out of 10 men over the age of 18, will be sexually assaulted sometime during their lives (Statistics Canada, 2001).

The Violence Against Women Study, conducted by Statistics Canada in 1993, revealed that 1/3 of all women polled had experienced sexual assault, and that ¼ of all women reported being ever sexually assaulted by a spouse or partner. This finding suggests that for the sampled women, sexual assault by a partner was even more likely to occur in their relationships than was physical assault or abuse.