What is Sexual Violence?
Sexual violence is any type of physical, verbal, or visual violence that is sexual in nature. This can encompass a range of behaviors:
- Physical: sexual assault, rape, groping, molestation
- Verbal: sexual harassment, making unwanted sexual comments to someone, calling someone derogatory names related to their sexual activity
- Visual: sending someone unwanted sexual pictures or messages, watching or ogling someone for the purpose of sexual gratification, or flashing
Sexual violence can impact people in the home, at school, on the job, or in public places in the community. Some sexual violence–particularly towards women–is normalized behavior in our society.
Sexual violence, including rape and sexual assault, is a common abuse tactic within abusive relationships, and many people who commit sexual violence harm their current or former partners.
Impact of Violence
There are many normal responses to the trauma of sexual violence. Some people have difficulty concentrating, sleeping, or have intrusive thoughts and memories they just can’t escape from. Some might feel really strong emotions at times or feel numb to any emotions at all. Some might change their behavior after an assault by isolating, or participating in risky behaviors; by changing their usual hygiene practices, or by changing their diet. All of these responses (and many others) are normal responses to rape or sexual assault.
Sometimes the behavior is subtle or grows worse over time, leaving survivors to question their actions or wonder if they could have done anything to stop it. Rape and sexual assault survivors often experience fight, flight, freeze, and something called “tonic immobility,” which leaves them frozen while the violence is taking place–it’s a defense strategy the body uses to protect itself from further harm. Because of the way memories are recorded when someone undergoes a traumatic experience, survivors may have gaps in their memory, or be left with very strong sensory memories (a smell, etc.).
These responses are ways survivors’ brains and bodies cope with the violence done to them, and they can be distressing and have negative impacts on daily lives. We’re here to offer help and support on our 24-hour Crisis and Support line at (888) 654-2288 or through our confidential chat.
Did you Know?
Oregon women and girls are raped and sexually assaulted at rates that far exceed the national average. Over 1 million women and girls in Oregon—more than half of the state’s female population (Count Her In Report).
In the U.S., 43.6% of women experience some form of contact sexual violence (contact sexual violence includes rape, being made to penetrate someone else, sexual coercion, and/or unwanted sexual contact) within their lifetime. 24.8% of men experience some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime (National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey).
1 in 3 female rape victims experienced it for the first time between 11-17 years old and 1 in 8 reported that it occurred before age 10. Nearly 1 in 4 male rape victims experienced it for the first time between 11-17 years old and about 1 in 4 reported that it occurred before age 10 (Preventing Sexual Violence).