Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment
Sexual Abuse
Any sexual encounter without consent and includes any unwanted touching, forced sexual activity, be it oral, anal or vaginal, forcing the victim to perform sexual acts, painful or degrading acts during intercourse, and exploitation through photography or prostitution.
The Abuser may:
- Use violence to rape the victim
- Use enough force to control the victim
- Coerce or manipulate the victim
Sexual abuse involves:
- Extreme jealousy
- Calling sexually insulting names
- Criticizing the victim sexually
- Forcing unwanted sex
- Sadistic sexual acts
- Forcing sex after physical assault
- Using coercion to force sex
Sexual Assault
A brutal crime and takes in the form of rape, child sexual abuse, incest, and sexual harassment. Sex assault is a degrading, frightening and cruel crime; a violation of a woman’s physical and psychological well-being.
Within an intimate relationship, sexual assault or rape is more often the result of the man’s need to dominate, humiliate and control the wife ( 2004).
Sexual Assault includes:
- Unwanted touching or grabbing
- Oral penetration
- Anal penetration
- Sexual penetration with an object
- Forced sex
Types of Sexual Abuse/Rape
Date/Acquaintance Rape
Occurs between people who know each other. Can happen between friends, people who have met once, or people who may know each other fairly well.
Stranger Rape
The victim is sexually assaulted by someone that she does not know. More physically violent and the victim is more likely to suffer from physical injuries.
Marital Rape
Frightening and brutal event that usually occur in the context of exploitative and destructive relationship. It is about humiliation, degradation, anger, and resentment. Women are left, if not physically disabled, then psychologically traumatized for a long time ( cited in 1995).
Types of Marital Rape
Battering Rape – the husband hit his wife, belittle her, call her names, take her money, and, as another way of humiliating and degrading her, resort to sexual violence. The sexual abuse is often a continuation of beatings (cited in 1995).
Force-Only Rape – the husband uses only as much force as necessary to coerce his wife into sex. The goal of the husband is to accomplish the sex act rather then hurt the woman ( 1995).
Obsessive Rape – the husband’s sexual interests run toward the strange and perverse and he is willing to use force to carry these activities out. Husbands who commit obsessive rapes are preoccupied with sex and interested not only in reading pornography but in creating it as well, usually by taking pictures of their wives. Performing unusual sexual activities are common among obsessive rapists ( 1995).
Signs of Sexual Abuse
- Changes in behaviour
- Refusal to go to a particular place or see a certain person
- Development of eating disorder
- Substance abuse
- Nightmares
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Dread or refusal of medical examination
- Pregnancy
- Suicidal attempts
Effects of Sexual Abuse
Psychological
- Fear and Panic attacks
- Difficulty in sleeping, nightmares, anger
- Drugs and substance abuse
- Depression or eating disorder
- Personality disorder (low confidence, low self-esteem)
Sexual
- Decrease in sexual activity
- Stop having sexual intercourse
- Problems getting aroused
- Pain during sexual intercourse
Physical
- Chronic stomach pains
- Intense menstrual cramps
- Pain during intercourse
- Headaches, migraines and body pains
Emotional
- Denial, fear, anger and difficulty in trusting other people
Sexual Harassment
The perception of sexual harassment as a legal claim is relatively a new concept although there are Civil Rights acts that guarantee and protect rights for all people. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a sexual harassment guideline in 1980 that defines sexual harassment as “the unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature especially when submission to is made a term or condition for individual’s employment, as the basis for employment decisions affecting the individual or has the purpose or effect to unreasonably interfere with work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment ( 1992).
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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