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Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual behaviour. If it’s sexual and unwanted, it’s not okay.
If someone has sexual contact with you that you don’t want, that is sexual assault. If someone makes you do sexual things that you don’t want to do, that is sexual assault. And sexual assault also includes any sexual act that you are not able to consent to, for example if you are asleep, unconscious, or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Sexual assault can take place in public or in private. It can be carried out by a stranger but is more often done by someone you know - a friend, family member, or partner.
Sexual behaviour that makes you feel uncomfortable or frightened is sexual assault. This can include:
Sexual assault can happen to anyone.
Sexual assault is never your fault.
Everyone has the right to feel safe, and to make decisions about their own body. Sexual violence is an abuse of power. No person deserves to be sexually assaulted. A person who commits sexual assault is responsible for their own behaviour.
One in 6 women and one in 25 men have been sexually assaulted at least once after the age of 15.
Reporting to Police has increased by 30% in recent years, but this is likely to be because more people are reporting - not because sexual assault is happening more.
Most perpetrators (75-83%) are known to the victim. 97% of those convicted for sexual assault are male.
In Australia, the 2016 Personal Safety Survey showed that of the women who had experienced male perpetrated physical or sexual violence in the previous ten years, around half reported that alcohol or another substance had contributed to their experience.
The connections between sexual assault and substance use can be quite complex.
Research shows that people who have experienced sexual harm - including child sexual abuse, sexual assault, and rape - are more likely to use drugs and alcohol as a way of coping with trauma.
At the same time, drug and alcohol use can make a person more vulnerable to sexual harm. Perpetrators often use alcohol and drugs to incapacitate, control or discredit a victim-survivor.
Sexual assault is always the fault of the perpetrator, never the victim-survivor. Even if a victim-survivor chose to use alcohol or drugs, they are not at fault for the harm they experienced.
Each survivor reacts to sexual violence in their own unique way. It is important to respect each person’s choices and style of coping with this traumatic event.
There is no right or wrong way to feel after a sexual assault. But common responses include:
Some common symptoms and effects of trauma are flashbacks, nightmares, mood swings, insomnia, exhaustion, loss of appetite, over-eating, feeling numb or spaced out, avoidance of people and places, anxiety and panic attacks, depression, risk-taking behaviour, or self-harming.
Many victim-survivors self-medicate and try to alleviate these symptoms and feelings by using drugs or alcohol. While this is understandable and may feel like it is helping in the short term, it can often lead to longer term problems such as addiction.
If you have experienced sexual harm and are using drugs or alcohol to help deal with your trauma responses, professional support is available.
Reaching out for support can be an important way to help you work through the trauma you have experienced. Healing is possible and everyone does this in their own way and at their own pace. Despite your trauma, you also have your own resources and strengths that can also help you recover from the impacts of sexual violence.
