Any form of sexual contact, act or behavior that occurs without explicit and uncoerced consent of the victim is sexual assault. In other words, sexual assault is any form of unconsented to sexual actions. It is a violation of your body, mind and overall trust. Hence, it is incredibly important that sexual assault is taken seriously and understood in depth. Although it is a difficult subject to study, understanding what sexual assault is can help you develop tools for preventing it from happening, protecting yourself, protecting your friends and avoid making detrimental mistakes of your own.
Other than “it’s just good to be educated” on sexual health, we have listed some reasons emphasizing why it is so important that you educate yourself on matters of sexual assault.
In the United States, every 73 seconds an American is sexually assaulted, therefore the likelihood of someone you know being sexually assaulted is pretty high. Be a resource to these people. Sexual assault is a traumatic experience so being well versed in the subject can help you support them through a very difficult time.
Sexual assault is often committed by someone the survivor of sexual assault knows. In other words, sexual assaulters are not necessarily complete strangers. They could be someone you see around at school, a friend or even the survivor’s significant other. Knowing how to spot sexual assault and what it looks like can help you protect your friends.
We hope this doesn’t happen but if it does, a comprehensive understanding of sexual assault can help you take the best care of yourself after the fact.
RAINN is an amazing organization that provides free resources for sexual assault survivors. Here at The Sexbook we highly reccommend everyone visits their website to learn even more about sexual assault. Survivors should follow this link to see how RAINN can help you. In the case that you have just experienced a sexual assault, below are steps you can follow to begin the recovery process.
We know as teenagers and young adults you might be attending social events that have alcohol and drugs so it is important to consider consent in these situations. While drunk hookups can be fun and positive, you need to make sure all parties are still in their right mind when consenting to any sexual activities. Consent cannot be given by anyone who is incapacitated.
Signs of incapacitation:
If the person you are vibing with at a party begins to show any of the signs above do not engage in any sexual activities. Additionally, if you see anyone at a party displaying any of these signs do not stand aside and let someone take advantage of them. Stepping in may feel uncomfortable to you or even scary, but it is better than letting an assault occur. Here are some excuses you can use to help keep them safe:
Even if your friend does not seem incapacitated, it is still important to check in with them if they are leaving the party or room with someone. Giving your friend a possible out can be very helpful. Not sure what to say? Here are some examples:
Sources: Sexual Assault, Sexual Violence
