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Sexual Violence |
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Sexual Violence
What is sexual violence?
Sexual violence includes:
- any unwanted sexual contact,
- intentional physical contact with an intimate
body part of another person without that person's consent, or
- sexual intercourse in cases where the victim
does not, or is not able to, give consent.
Perpetrators of sexual assault may use force, physical or non-physical
threats, coercion, and intimidation to assault a victim. No matter
what the circumstances are, sexual assault is never the
fault of the victim.
Counseling and support services are available at any time after
the assault. Please see Resources for
students for more information about available services on
campus and in the Boston area.
MIT's
statement on sexual misconduct
Examples of sexual violence
- Two students had been flirting with on another earlier in
the evening. One of the students misinterprets responses from
the other student and forces sexual intimacy, ignoring requests
that it stop.
- During the course of an evening, a couple is initially comfortable
with sexual contact, but then one says the intimacy has gone
too far and asks for it to stop, while the other continues the
sexual contact despite those objections.
- A student takes sexual advantage of another who is incapable,
for any reason, of expressing or asserting unwillingness.
- A student feels justified in forcing a partner to have sex
because the couple has had a previous sexual relationship or
encounter.
- A student says "no" quietly or timidly, yet another student
continues to proceed with sexual advances.
- Any inappropriate or non-consensual contact such as pinching
a person's buttocks.
Examples taken from Dartmouth's Sexual Abuse policy
Facts about sexual violence
Sexual assault is not about sex. It is about controlling, hurting,
and humiliating another person in an incredibly personal manner.
Most rapes or sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim
knows. On college campuses, 90% of sexual assault victims know
the person who assaulted them. 2
Victims very often blame themselves for being assaulted. This
is largely due to societal notions about sexual assault. Victims
are in no way responsible for being assaulted. The responsibility
lies with the attacker, whether this person is known to the survivor
or a stranger.
Rape and sexual assault are not crimes against women only. Men
are also victims of sexual assault but are less likely than women
to come forward and report the crime or seek help. Perpetrators
of sexual assault can be women or men, just as victims can be
women or men. Sexual assault happens at every level of society,
age, sexual orientation, gender, race, ethnicity, and socio-economic
class.
Sexual assault and rape are the most underreported crimes. Reporting
rape to the authorities can be very difficult because the victim
must reveal intimate details.
It is important to connect victims with sensitive professionals
and friends to establish support and avoid further trauma.
2 Fisher B, Cullen F & Turner
M. (2000) The Sexual Victimization of College Women. Washington
DC: National Institute of Justice and Bureau of Justice Statistics.
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