Definitions

Sexual assault: Sexual intercourse without consent, forcible sodomy, sexual penetration with an object, intentionally touching an unwilling person's intimate parts, or forcing an unwilling person to touch another's intimate parts. These acts occur by force, threat, surprise, intimidation, or by taking advantage of someone's helplessness or inability to consent.

Rape: Sexual intercourse by force or against that person's will, or where the victim is incapable of giving consent given the person's age or temporary (i.e. drunk or intoxicated) or permanent mental or physical incapacity .

As you can tell from looking at these definitions, the term "sexual assault" is a broad term that includes many acts. Cases of rape also fit the broader definition of sexual assault, but not all sexual assault cases meet the definition of rape.

Particularly in the case of rape, some people think that the most common type of rape happens when a guy a woman doesn't know grabs her by surprise and rapes her. While the rape of a woman by a stranger does occur sometimes, it is important to remember this:

• More than four out of five times when a woman is raped, it is by someone she knows. It could be an acquaintance. It could be a friend. It could be a date. But four out of five times, it is someone she knows. And the average length of time she has known them is one year. Not just a few weeks, but on average, it's been one year.


• Men too experience rape. In fact, 1 in 33 men will experience rape or attempted rape. It is estimated that 1 in 10 survivors of sexual assault is male.

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Legal Definitions

The above definitions are what might be called "educational" definitions. The Utah Criminal Code (state statutes or laws that describe what criminal behavior is) break the above two definitions into several individual crime categories. To read Utah laws regarding sexual offenses:

• Visit the Utah State Legislature website:
  http://le.utah.gov/~code/TITLE76/76_05.htm.


• PDF: Utah Criminal Code Sexual Offenses

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Get Help

Get help, or help someone you know.

PDFs

• Myths and Realities about Sexual Assault
• Sexual Assault Trauma Syndrome
• Stages of Adjustment after Sexual Assault
• Flashbacks
• Making the Decision to Report
• Helping a Loved One

Prevention Education

• R.A.D. Self-Defense (women)
• One-in-Four (men)

Links

• RAINN http://www.rainn.org/
• National Sexual Violence Resource Center http://www.nsvrc.org/
• National Center for Victims of crime http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/Main.aspx
• Men's Rape Prevention Project http://www.mencanstoprape.org/
• Women Organized Against Rape http://www.woar.org/
• Take the Pledge www.takethepledge.gov
• Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape http://www.pcar.org
• Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault http://www.ucasa.org
• Utah Office on Violence Against Women and Families http://www.nomoresecrets.utah.gov/
• A Survivor's Thoughts http://asurvivorsthoughts.blogspot.com/