Guelph-Wellington Action Committee on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence


Home About Us Learn to Hide Your Internet Visits News Calendar of Events Member Area Organization Resources Protocols Guide Poster What is... Sexual Assault Domestic Violence	Sexual Assault Sexual assault, no matter who the perpetrator or who the victim, is a CRIMINAL ACT. If you have been sexually assaulted, you are not to blame. Please reach out for help, it is available for you and can be provided in many different ways depending on your unique needs and situation. What is Sexual Assault? What to Do If You Have Been Sexually Assaulted What is Sexual Harassment? What to Do If You Are Being Sexually Harassed What is Child Sexual Abuse? Your Responsibility to Report Older Adults Are Also at Risk The Myths Persist…. What is Sexual Assault? Sexual Assault is any unwanted act of a sexual nature imposed by one person upon another (e.g. kissing fondling, oral or anal sex, intercourse or other forms of penetration). It can happen within marriage, common-law, same-sex and/or dating/acquaintance relationships and by an unknown perpetrator. The majority of sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the person and some sexual assaults are committed by strangers. Sexual assault (among adults) is predominantly perpetrated against women by men. It is a crime of power and control. If someone in a position of power, trust or authority, uses that relationship to engage in sexual activity with a person over whom he/she has power, that activity could constitute a sexual assault. Examples of those relationships are: doctor and patient, teacher and student, coach and team member, babysitter and child. Back to top What to Do If You Have Been Sexually Assaulted go to a safe place contact someone you trust or who can help you, a friend, family member and/or contact the local crisis line and they can offer support and information about your options – 24 hour service Guelph-Wellington Women In Crisis 519-823-5710 TOLL FREE 1-800-265-7233 go to your local hospital, even if you don’t want to report to the police, where you will be put in contact with the specialized services of the Sexual Assault Care & Treatment Centre located at Guelph General Hospital 24 hour service for Guelph and Wellington County 519-837-6440 ext. 2210 it is important that you do not shower, eat or drink, douche, or change your clothes in case you may decide to prosecute your assailant – important evidence could be destroyed; evidence can be collected through the hospital-based program contact the local police – 24 hour service (911) REMEMBER, the assault was not your fault Back to top What is Sexual Harassment? Sexual harassment is using unwelcomed behaviour, sexual in nature, to gain power over someone and adversely affect, or threaten to affect, directly or indirectly a person’s security and well-being. This can be perpetrated, for example, by a workplace supervisor, a co-worker, a landlord, a service provider, a professor or other service provider. It can occur in the workplace, in organizations, on campus, at social events, business settings such as trips and conferences and other situations where raising objections or refusing could have negative consequences. Sexual harassment can be expressed in many ways, from very subtle to the most obvious. Examples include: suggestive remarks, sexual jokes or compromising invitations leering at a person’s body verbal abuse of a sexual nature visual display of suggestive images patting, rubbing or other unwanted physical contact threats of a sexual nature and/or outright demands for sexual favours Sexual harassment violations are among the most frequent complaints received by human rights agencies, and the most costly for employers who fail to have effective policies or do not treat such complaints from their employees or customers and clients seriously. Sexual harassment can have a huge impact on an individual’s health, career, employment, education and living accommodations as examples. Females are most likely to experience sexual harassment by men but men can also be sexually harassed by women and same-gender harassment can also occur. Back to top What to Do If You Are Being Sexually Harassed If you believe that you are being sexually harassed the following information may be helpful: if possible, make it clear to the offender and/or to the person in authority that such action has occurred and is unwanted if the behaviour persists, or corrective action is not taken, a complaint can be filed with the Human Rights Commission. it is important to document when the alleged incidents occur, the nature of the behaviour, names of any witnesses and any other information relevant to the investigation you can also call the local crisis line for support and information. Back to top What is Child Sexual Abuse? NOTE: A child is defined as a person under 16 years of age Child sexual abuse happens when an older child, adolescent or adult uses a child for sexual purposes. It can also mean exposing them to sexual activity or behaviour directly or through the Internet. It can include: exposing themselves in the presence of a child touching and kissing a child’s breasts or genitals inviting/forcing the child to touch someone else sexually having oral, anal and vaginal sex with a child family incest forcing a child into prostitution or pornography sexual requests and exploitation over the Internet Child sexual abuse is usually repeated, and can go on for a long time. Children are most often sexually assaulted by someone they know and trust such as a relative, friend of the family, a neighbour, a babysitter or a team coach – someone who has access to the child without raising suspicion. It is important to support a child if they disclose the sexual abuse to you. While sexual abuse can be very traumatic, the long-term effects can be reduced through early intervention, support and counseling. Back to top Your Responsibility to Report All persons, professionals or officials who suspect that a child may have been or is being sexually abused, have a responsibility to promptly report that information to Family and Children’s Services. It is Family & Children’s Services responsibility to ensure that the child is protected from any danger of further harm as well as to protect other children that you may not know about but are also being abused by the same perpetrator. Family and Children’s Services of Guelph-Wellington 519-824-2410 TOLL FREE 1-800-265-8300 Back to top Older Adults Are Also at Risk Older adults can be sexually abused when they have not consented, are in a confused state, do not comprehend and/or are unable to consent to sexual activities. Examples of sexual abuse can be inappropriate touching, fondling, kissing, oral/genital contact, exploitation, rape and pornography. Older victims of abuse often know, trust and depend on the person(s) who hurt them. If aware of what is happening, they may fear that they will no longer be cared for, fed, or provided a home should they tell on the abuser. They may also not be able to protect themselves if they anger the abuser. Support and services are available for older adults through: Wellington Dufferin Community Mental Health Clinic – Information Referral Service 519-821-2060 Back to top The Myths Persist…. There are many misconceptions surrounding the issue of sexual assault. We have included some of them for your review. Think about how our society, in general, continues to blame the victim. Women who are sexually assaulted are sometimes inadvertently responsible for the attack by failing to take proper precautions. FALSE The victim is never responsible for the crime, the assailant is. Regardless of the circumstances, the perpetrator makes a choice to commit the crime. Most sexual assaults are planned. What might deter one person can b the reason another attacks. No matter how a woman dresses, where she is, if the perpetrator paid for dinner, or whether they had sex previously justifies an assault. Consider: What is consent? What do we mean when we say “she lead him on”? When is saying no, not enough? The usual reaction by a woman who has been sexually assaulted is uncontrollable crying or hysteria. FALSE A woman who has been assaulted cannot be expected to react in one particular way. She may be crying, or she may be calm. She may be silent, or she may be very angry an articulate. There are many different reactions to sexual assault. Rape Trauma Syndrome is a term used to describe what a victim goes through after an assault. You cannot tell if a woman has been sexually assaulted by her behaviour. In most cases of sexual assault, the woman will have cuts, bruises or other physical injuries. FALSE Sexual assault is by its nature physically and emotionally violent. The violence may consist of threats, the presence of weapons or other actions that do not leave obvious marks. If there are physical injuries, they may not be readily visible when the woman reports the crime. Sometimes there are no physical injuries. The absence of obvious physical injuries does not mean a sexual assault did not take place. Emotional injury or trauma must also be attended to and is often overlooked. Sexual assault happens to careless people who are “asking for it” by the way they dress or where they are. FALSE No one asks to be assaulted. All kinds of people, young and old are sexually assaulted in all kinds of places and at all times. The idea that victims provoke assault by “being in the wrong place at the wrong time” assumes that they have no right to be as free as you. They shift the blame from the perpetrator to the victim or this crime. No one “deserves” to be sexually assaulted. Sexual assault is an impulsive, uncontrollable act of sexual gratification. FALSE Sexual assault is a crime of power and dominance, acted out through sexual means. Sexual gratification is not the driving motivation. Most rapists are men who have sexual partners. Most sexual assaults are planned. Consider the consequences of this myth – what does it suggest about the responsibility of the person who commits the crime? If a woman does not struggle, then legally she has not been sexually assaulted. FALSE Many women are too afraid to struggle, or freeze in terror, or are coerced and intimidated by threats, or realize that the size and strength of their assailant makes resistance dangerous. The issue is consent, not physical resistance. If the woman says no, but the man acts as if she said yes, then sexual assault has occurred. The legal system often looks more favourably on cases where there is evidence of resistance – a kind of double message for women who are taught that to resist is dangerous. Again, women are not believed if they don’t fit a preconceived notion. Given the option, a rapist will tend to choose attractive women. FALSE The attractiveness of a victim is irrelevant. Sexual assault is an act of violence an aggression. The idea that rapists prefer “attractive” women reinforces the notion that women provoke attack by the way they dress and reinforces disbelief of victims who do not fit our preconceived ideas of who is targeted. A woman who goes home with a man on the first date is sending a message that she is interested in having sex. FALSE A woman is free to behave any way she wishes without being obliged to engage in sexual relations. No behaviour by one person justifies the commission of a crime by another, except in self-defense. Women often falsely report sexual assault because they are angry with their boyfriends or husbands. FALSE Many people believe that women who report a sexual assault are mad or trying to get revenge or simple seeking attention. Statistics do not support this. Sexual assault is one of the most under-reported of all crimes; between 65% and 95% of incidents are never reported to the police. Some cases are classified by police as “unfounded” because the police lack enough evidence to lay charges. If does not mean that they do not believe the victim. A prostitute will not be traumatized by a rape. After all, having sex is her job. FALSE A sexual assault can be just as traumatic to an experienced prostitute as to anyone else, and she has as much right to treatment, protection and justice. Remember, rape is a crime of violence not simple a sexual act. The person who is sexually assaulted is the only one who suffers. FALSE Sexual assault affects the victim’s family, friends and neighbours. The fear of sexual assault affects all women. The economic costs of sexual assault affect us all. Sexual assault is a societal problem. Women cannot be sexually assaulted by their husbands or boyfriends. FALSE Under the law, women have the right to say no to any for of sex, even in a marriage or dating relationship. The Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women 1993 found that 38% of sexually assaulted women where assaulted by their husbands, common-law partners or boyfriends. Few women report such incidents to the police. Myths From the Sexual Assault Care & Treatment Centre Guelph General Hospital Back to top