Resources
What is Sexual Violence?
Sexual violence is intentional sexual contact with another person without that person’s consent.
Being intoxicated by drugs or alcohol is never an excuse for sexual misconduct in any form. It does not take away one’s responsibility to ask permission and receive consent to touch someone.
Sexual violence affects people throughout their lives and can be devastating for individuals, families, and communities.
Sexual violence impacts people of all genders, ages, races, religions, incomes, abilities, professions, ethnicities, and sexual orientations.
What Can Sexual Violence Look Like?
Sexual violence can take many forms, some of which do not involve penetration. It can range from unwanted sexual contact over the clothes, like touching someone’s buttocks or fondling their breasts, to rape. Some forms of sexual violence do not even involve touch, such as peeping, stalking, and flashing.
Failure to stop sexual activity when someone asks for the behavior to stop is sexual assault.
“Rape Culture Pyramid” by 11th Principle: Consent!, used with permission from Jaime Chandra, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
Sexual Violence Fact Sheet
(Courtesy of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Click to enlarge.)
