Invisible Scar

Sexual abuse plagues people of all shapes, sizes, ethnicity’s, and backgrounds. It can include anything from making a sexual reference, to someone feeling uncomfortable and even rape. In this project, we will break down the different types of sexual abuse and explain why they occur all over the world, every single day.

First it is best to define the most violent kind of sexual abuse, which is rape. Rape is the forceful or non-forceful attempt or action of a sexual act done to a person, without their consent. Rape is a non-consensual penile penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth. Rape can also be described as sexual intercourse with a person, without their permission. Rape is accomplished by use of force by the assailant. Force can consist of many different things. It may refer to the use of verbal coercion, in order to coax the victim into sexual acts. It could also refer to actual physical restraint, in which the victim is restrained and unable to resist. Other examples of force are intimidation by verbal and physical threats, and in some cases, actual physical violence. These acts of force make it very difficult to a victim to resist sexual abuse such as rape.

There are many myths that try to justify rape as a normal sexual act. One myth is that rape is actually just sex. In fact, rape is a life-threatening act of violence. The rapist is never expressing a love or sexual desire; instead a need to feel powerful and dominating in a sexual context, is displayed. Another myth or stereotype about rape, is that most rapes occur on the street, by strangers or by drunken or out of control men. The fact is that fifty percent of rapes occur in the home. About eighty percent of the adult women that are raped are done so by close family or friends, not by strangers. Rapists can be anyone, from doctors, teachers, and bosses, to a partner, a friend, or even a date.

Sexual assault is one of the most serious and fastest growing crimes that face the world today. The National Victim Center reports that over seven hundred thousand women are raped or sexually assaulted annually. Sixty one percent of these rapes occur with women under the age of eighteen. Five percent of sexual assaults are inflicted upon males. Usually this statistic is not recognized and more often overlooked, because many people generalize that males are usually the abusers, and even if they weren’t, many males don’t even report their incidents.