Sexual encounter without consent

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).

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