What is Sexual Violence?

Sexual violence is any unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature including verbal coercion, non-contact sexual assault, rape and other forms of sexual abuse and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It happens to people of all ages, cultures, ethnicities, faiths, sexualities, gender identities, disabilities and abilities. It impacts communities by destroying their sense of safety and trust. It also has a huge cost to society which includes medical and police services, crisis and mental health service fees and the lost contributions of victims and survivors.

Whether someone is a survivor or perpetrator of sexual violence it is never their fault and there are no excuses or justifications for such a serious crime. Many of the factors that contribute to sexual violence are complex and interrelated. Some are structural, such as the culture of masculinity that normalizes male aggression or the belief that men cannot control their sexual impulses. Other factors are biological or psychological, such as genetics and the impact of other traumatic experiences in childhood on brain development.

For victims, there are short and long term effects of sexual trauma. Short-term effects include shock, fear and anxiety and can last for a few months or longer depending on the individual and their response to the event. Long-term effects can include PTSD, depression, self-harm and suicide, eating disorders, sexual dysfunction, drug and alcohol abuse, physical problems such as gynecological and reproductive disorders and preoccupation with the appearance of one’s body.

Everyone’s experience of sexual violence is different and every survivor will respond in their own way. This is because the impact of sexual trauma can be influenced by age, other life events, beliefs about what happened and feelings of shame, guilt and powerlessness.

Survivors can show a range of reactions to the sexual abuse or assault, including apathy, anger, humour, elation and denial. Some do not remember what has happened to them or may have dissociated during the incident(s) – this is when they are not fully in their bodies and can describe feeling like they were floating up out of their own head or looking over their own shoulder. For some, their trauma is so intense that they can only feel a numbness and are unable to talk about it.

Bystander involvement is crucial to preventing sexual violence. Bystanders are individuals who witness situations that can have either a negative or positive impact on the perpetrator and victim. Prosocial bystanders are those who recognise when a situation is harmful and act to support the victim and/or perpetrator to change their behaviour. They can do this in a number of ways, such as creating a distraction, re-directing the attention of the perpetrator, confronting them or asking others to intervene.

There is a lot of research showing that when more people are involved in sexual violence prevention, outcomes are better. However, the majority of studies report mixed results with a large proportion reporting no effect at all. Peer-reviewed publications and government reports tended to have more positive or mixed findings than dissertations and unpublished manuscripts.