What is Sexual Assault?
Sexual Assault is sexual contact without consent. No one, regardless of any circumstances, deserves to be sexually assaulted. Sexual assault is never the victim’s fault.
Sexual Assault includes the following:
- Rape and attempted rape
- Unwanted sexual touching
- Voyeurism or exhibitionism
- Child sexual abuse or incest
- Exposing children to sexual acts or pornography
- Electronic abuse–using technology to harass, monitor, and control
Important Facts About Sexual Assault
- Rape is an act of power, control, and domination
- No one deserves to be sexually assaulted
- No one is immune from the possibility of sexual assault
- People of any age, race, gender, etc. can be victims of sexual assault
If you have been a victim of sexual assault, Susan B. Anthony Project can help
A sexual assault advocate can offer support, answer questions, help you develop a safety plan, and offer shelter, if needed.
- 24-hour crisis line
- Counseling for survivors and their families
- Support groups
- Day and evening appointments
- Support at hospital during a sexual assault exam
- Help with restraining orders
- Medical and legal support and advocacy
- Emergency shelter
- Transitional housing
Facts and Statistics about Sexual Assault
- Nearly 1 in 5 women (19.3%) and 1 in 59 men (1.7%) have been raped in their lifetime.
- 78% of incidences of sexual violence involved an offender who was a family member, intimate partner, friend, or acquaintance.
- Fewer than 50% of sexual assault victims report the assault to police
- 23% of rape or sexual assault victims received help or advice from a victim service agency.
(from Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence Victimization—National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 2011; U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau op Justice Statistics, 2013)