ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT

SEXUAL ASSAULT IS ONE FORM OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE.

SEXUAL VIOLENCE IS ANY TYPE OF UNWANTED SEXUAL ACTIVITY OR ATTENTION.

Some people use the words "sexual assault" to mean any kind of sexual violence. In Arizona, what we traditionally think of as rape is actually defined in state law as sexual assault. Sexual assault is one of many other forms of sexual violence, including molestation, sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Sexual violence is not about lust or the need to have sex. Sexual violence, like all other forms of violence, is about the need to hurt, control or humiliate other people. Sex is only the weapon.

As mentioned above, sexual assault is legally defined in the Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS 13-1406). Sexual assault occurs when a person intentionally or knowingly engages without the consent of the other person in one or more of the following sexual activities:

• sexual intercourse (penetration of penis, vulva, or anus with any part of the body or with an object)
• masturbatory contact with the penis or vulva
• oral sexual contact (with the penis, vulva, or anus)

"Without consent" can mean any of the following:

• the attacker uses physical force to overpower and control the victim
  
• the victim fears that she/he or someone else will be hurt if she/he does not do what the attacker wants and the attacker could have known this to be the case
  
• the victim is unable to either give or deny consent due to state of consciousness
  
• the victim is under the influence of drugs or alcohol to the point of intoxication and the attacker could have known this to be the case
  
• the victim is not able to make informed sexual decisions or understand the distinctly sexual nature of the act and the attacker could have known this to be the case
  
• the victim was tricked about the nature of the act or was tricked about the marital relationship with the attacker
  

Committing sexual violence is a conscious choice on the part of an attacker. They are the only ones to blame for their actions. Sexual violence is NEVER the victim's fault. 1 in 5 women and 1 in 6 men will experience attempted or completed sexual abuse or sexual assault in her or his lifetime. (Koss 1996, Mathews 1996, Hopper 2002)

Help is available... The Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault offers confidential mental health services for victims/survivors of any kind of sexual violence.

 

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