Gillette Abuse Refuge Foundation

Sexual Assault (SA) - Any unwanted sexual contact or attention achieved by force, threats, bribes, manipulation, pressure, tricks, or violence. It may be physical or non-physical and includes rape, attempted rape, incest and child molestation, and sexual harassment. Sexual assault is a crime of violence, anger, power and control where sex is used as a weapon against the victim.

Rape - Forced vaginal intercourse, perpetrated against the will of and without the consent of the victim

Child Sexual Abuse - Any act that involves sexual molestation or exploitation of a child by a parent or other person who has permanent or temporary care or custody of or responsibility for supervision of a child, or by any household or family members regardless of whether physical injuries are sustained. Child sexual abuse is a physical violation of a child's body through any sort of sexual contact or a psychological violation of a child's personal space through verbal or visual sexual behavior. It is a violation of a child's basic rights to be protected, nurtured, and guided through childhood and it disrupts child development, causing low self-esteem, distorted beliefs about body image and sexuality, and a lack of trust in care givers and the world in general.

Acquaintance Rape - Any unwanted sexual contact or attention achieved by force, threats, bribes, manipulation, pressure, tricks, or violence by someone with which the victim is acquainted. The perpetrator may be a spouse, a partner, a friend, or merely someone the victim sees around the neighborhood from time to time. This is by far the most common type of sexual assault. 85% of victims know their attackers.

Incest - Any overtly sexual act between people who are closely related or who perceive themselves as being closely related (as in relationship between in-laws, stepsiblings and stepparents, and close family friends). In addition to physical sexual contact this can include voyeurism, masturbation in front of the child, suggestive talk, provocative photography, exposing oneself to the child, etc. Incest results from a breakdown in the family and creates emotional isolation, stress, confusion about family roles and boundaries, guilt, and a host of other symptoms.

Sexual Harassment - Any repeated, unwanted behavior of a sexual nature perpetrated upon one individual by another. Sexual harassment may be verbal, visual, written, or physical. It can occur between people of different genders or those of the same sex. Harassing behaviors may occur in a variety of relationships including those among peers, and those where there is an imbalance of power between two individuals. The law is primarily concerned with the impact of the behavior, not the intent. In other words, the law is concerned with how the person on the receiving end is affected by the behavior, not with what the other person means by the behavior.