Sexual assault is any sexual activity you do not or cannot give consent to.
If you were involved in sexual activity you did not want whether through force or manipulation or because you were asleep o using drugs or alcohol, you experienced sexual assault.
If you experienced sexual activity you did not want as a child or sexual activity you did not want at any age, it is sexual assault.
If you did not fight back when manipulated into sexual activity, it is sexual assault.
If the person was a friend or a sexual partner and you did not give consent, it is sexual assault.
No one asks to be sexually assaulted. What you wear, where you go, who you know does not matter. Your relationship with the person, whether spouse or stranger, does not matter. Whether you gave consent for sexual activity at an earlier time does not matter. It is sexual assault.
Sexual assault is never your fault. You did not do anything wrong. Help is here for you through our 24/7 hotline: 508 228-2111.
You may identify with one of these situations that may help you to figure out if you were sexually assaulted/raped. This list does not cover everything but provides some common scenarios.
My consent is not freely given when …
I said yes at first and then I said no
I said yes to one thing and they did other things
I said no until I was exhausted, and then I said yes
I did not dare to say no but it didn’t mean yes
I did not fight back
I was drunk
I was high
We’d been dating for almost a year and I didn’t think I could say no
We were friends
We were married