Sexual Assault: What We All Need to Know

What is Sexual Assault?

Sexual assault is an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of forced and unwanted sexual activity, including kissing, exhibitionism, groping, and rape. Victims might be coerced into sexual acts through verbal or non-verbal threats or through the use of substances, such as alcohol or drugs. Sexual assault doesn’t always involve physical contact – acts such as voyeurism and exhibitionism can still count as unwanted sexual attention. Many victims know their assailant or rapist. Approximately two out of three sexual assaults are committed by an attacker that the victim knows, according to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN). About 38% of rape incidents are committed by a friend or acquaintance of the victim. These trends are reinforced by Department of Justice (DOJ) statistics shown below, revealing that most attacks are perpetrated by someone close to or known by the victim.

Recognizing Abuse

College provides an environment for many students to explore intimate relationships with casual partners or serious relationships. In the confines of these relationships, however, inexperienced partners may not have the tools and experience needed to identify troubling behaviors. The earliest expressions of abuse aren’t always physical. Controlling habits can begin with manipulative comments or angry outbursts either in-person or over phone, text or social media. It is extremely important for young adults to be able to recognize warning signs of a problematic relationship, before an abusive situation escalates. The most common indicators of high-risk emotional or physical abuse are below:

EMOTIONAL ABUSE

Tone: Seemingly harmless statements can transform into threats or insults if your partner uses a disparaging or aggressive tone. Language choice: A partner blames you for things or uses coarse language, such as swear words, while speaking to you. Jealousy: Your partner seems suspicious of your interactions with other people. Your partner attempts to control your interactions, isolate you, or monitor your communications with others. Controlling statements: Your partner issues commands or often says you “must” or “have to” do something. Pejorative language: Your partner addresses or describes you with insulting names or adjectives, such as “stupid” or “idiotic.” Threats: Your partner attempts to control you with “or else” statements or negative consequences if you don’t comply with their wishes. Your partner might threaten you with physical, emotional, or verbal abuse.

PHYSICAL ABUSE

Violence: Your partner uses unwanted and forceful contact. This can include anything from wrist grabs to strikes against your body. Threatening body language: Your partner uses forceful movements, such as lunging toward you, glaring at your, or aggressively invading your personal space. Damaging property: Your partner has lost their temper and damaged items around the house, such as smashing dishes. Violence during sex: Your partner is extremely forceful or even violent during sex.

ASSAULT PREVENTION IN RELATIONSHIPS

If you’ve identified that your partner exhibits the controlling or aggressive behaviors listed above and you are too afraid to bring these issues up safely within your relationship, it’s time to get help. Victims often realize the dangers of their situation after it’s too late; the dynamic between the abuser and abused is strategically created to discourage the victims to acknowledge or address the problem. Intimate partner abuse and violence is never okay. It is more common than you may think and it is wholly within your power and your rights to get out safely. Contact a support line: If you’re unsure how to get away from an abusive partner, contact a support hotline for assistance. Love Is Respect and the National Domestic Abuse Hotline both provide 24/7 phone assistance. Try not to blame yourself: Self-blame is extremely common in abusive relationships. It can be easy to feel trapped in your situation. However, your partner’s abusive actions are absolutely not your fault or a sign of weakness on your part. Keep this in mind as you seek help. List safe places: Know where you can go in case you need to get away from an abusive partner. This might include a campus counseling center, a trusted friends’ dorm room, a survivors’ shelter, or a residence hall staff office. Document hostile communications: It can be emotionally painful to save threatening messages that your partner sends. However, voice messages, emails, IMs, and other hostile communications can be immensely useful to demonstrate a history of assault when you speak with counselors or authorities. Get counseling: Virtually all college campuses have on-site counselors who are trained to help with relationship assault and domestic violence. If you can’t find a way to contact a campus counselor directly, ask a residence advisor, professor, or academic advisor to help you explore these resources. Call the police: If you are being threatened with assault, attempt to reach a safe place and call the police immediately. After an Assault Unwanted sexual activity can take an immeasurable toll on the victim’s physical and mental health. According to the Student Health Services department at the University of South Carolina, only 25-50% of survivors seek professional mental health help after a sexual assault. The emotional and physical scars of an assault can deeply impact a student’s ability to cope with academic, social, and personal responsibilities. While asking for help may feel unbearable, you must take action to ensure your safety.

AFTER AN ASSAULT: IMMEDIATE STEPS

Get to a safe place: Get away from your assailant to a location where you can call for help. Ideally, find a secure place where you aren’t alone. This can include a campus health center, or the home of a nearby friend or family member. Contact the authorities: Call 911 to report the incident right away. Provide the dispatcher with the time, place, and description of your assailant. Wait for the police to arrive so that they can collect your statement. Get medical attention: Even if you do not feel like you need to, seek medical attention at a doctor’s office, urgent care clinic or a hospital as soon as possible. Doctors can help collect vital evidence and treat your injuries directly after an assault. These are some of the specialized care options to ask for: Advocacy: RAINN suggests calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline to request hospital referrals and check for the availability of an emergency advocate, who can help you through the medical examination. Sexual Assault Nurse / Forensic Examiner (SANE or SAFE): These professionals are trained to conduct victim examinations, document injuries, and collect DNA evidence that can prove useful in identifying an assailant. Potential evidence includes hair, skin, and bodily fluid samples. Emergency Contraception: Victims can prevent the risk of pregnancy by taking Plan B up to 120 hours after an attack. STD Testing: Get screened for possible infections that can be transmitted during unwanted sexual contact. To preserve evidence of threats or assault, RAINN advises victims to write down details about the attack and the attacker immediately. This information will help doctors, police and campus authorities do their utmost to help you in the hours and days after an attack. Do not change your clothes, shower, brush your teeth, or clean the scene of the crime until you can see a medical professional. If you think you may have been drugged, the federal Office of Women’s Health advises you to ask for a urinalysis during your examination.

AFTER AN ASSAULT: MOVING FORWARD

Make safe arrangements: If you live with an abusive partner, make arrangements with your dorm staff, a safe home, or friends to relocate to a new residence. To prevent future incidents, do not let your assailant know where you will be living. Seek counseling: Contact your campus health service office and inform them you need a crisis counselor who specializes in sexual assault. You can also contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE to speak with a counselor over the phone immediately. File a civil protection order (CPO): If you know the identity of your assailant, you can pursue a protection order, also known as a restraining order. A court can order your attacker to stay away from you and not communicate with you. An assailant who violates a CPO can face criminal charges. The American Bar Association has put together a resource regarding Sexual Assault CPO procedures for all 50 states.

IF SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS ASSAULTED

Help the victim reach a safe location away from the assailant. Make the victim feel as safe and listened to as possible. Many victims blame themselves for an attack. Inform the victim that the sexual assault was not their fault. Be a supportive listener. Thank the victim for telling you about this. Avoid phrases that evoke powerlessness at first, including “I’m sorry.” If you saw the attacker or witnessed any part of the assault, take detailed notes regarding the incident. Accompany the victim to the hospital and ensure they meet with medical professionals who specialize in sexual assault trauma. Follow up with the victim. Encourage participation in counseling sessions and support groups. Watch the survivor’s emotional and physical status. According to The White House Council on Women and Girls, victims of sexual assault or rape are at higher risk for mental health issues such as depression, PTSD, eating disorders, or suicidal ideations.

AFTER AN ASSAULT: RECOVERY

Survivors often struggle with resuming their normal daily activities in the aftermath of a sexual assault. Work with your physicians, counselors, and instructors to take the appropriate time off from classes and other academic responsibilities and heal. Even after physical wounds heal, survivors suffer the risk of chronic emotional distress.The Mental Impact of Rape, a report by the Medical University of South Carolina, shows that compared to other victims, rape survivors are 6.2 times more likely to develop PTSD, 3 times more likely to have a major depressive episode, 26 times more likely to abuse drugs, and 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol.