What is sexual assault?

The term “sexual assault” generally means unwanted sexual contact, or in other words sexual contact against your will, and without consent. The legal definition varies by state, but sexual assault and domestic violence organizations consider any unwanted sexual activity to be sexual assault. This includes rape.

Sometimes, people are sexually assaulted or raped by strangers. But even more often, people are sexually assaulted by someone they know – a friend, date, relative, acquaintance, or even a long-time partner or spouse.  There is often overlap between domestic violence and sexual assault because one of the ways abusers harm their partners is through sexual assault.

Sexual assault can be verbal, visual, or anything that forces you to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention. Examples of this are voyeurism (when someone watches private sexual acts), exhibitionism (when someone exposes him/herself in public), incest (sexual contact between family members), and sexual harassment.*

Sexual assault or rape may happen to anyone, including women, men, children, elderly, straight or gay.

Legal definitions for sexual assault are more precise and vary by state. To read about the crimes of sexual assault, please visit the Crimes page on this website and choose your state.

*National Women’s Health Information Center, US Department of Health and Human Services, http://4women.gov/faq/sexualassault.htm.