What is Sexual Assault?
Sexual Assault is any sexual contact or sexual attention committed
by force, threats, bribes, manipulation, pressure, tricks or violence.
It includes rape and attempted rape, child molestation, incest and sexual
harassment. Sexual assault is a terrifying and oftenbrutal crime: assailants
can be strangers, acquaintances, friends or family members. The devastating
effects are shared by vitims and those who love them.
According to the FBI, a rape occurs every six minutes in the U.S. Rape is a
crime of violence, anger, and power. It is not motivated by sexual desire.
Rapists use sexual violence as a weapon to control, humiliate, and hurt their
victims. Anyone can become a victim, because victims are not selected for
their attractivness, appearance, or behavior. Sexual assault of any type is never
a victim's fault. No one ever "asks for" or deserves to be sexually assaulted.