Sexual assault is a traumatic event for the survivor
as well as for family and friends. The information on these pages is intended
to inform and support anyone who has experienced this crime, as well as
her/his significant others. It is also available in booklet form, Handbook
for Survivors, which you can download or order (see below).
The University of Virginia defines sexual assault as:
sexual intercourse without consent, forcible sodomy or sexual penetration with an inanimate object, the intentional touching of an unwilling person's intimate parts (defined as genitalia, groin, breast, or buttocks, or clothing covering them), or forcing an unwilling person to touch another's intimate parts. To constitute an assault, the above acts must be committed either by force, threat, surprise or intimidation, or by taking advantage of someone's helplessness or inability to consent of which the alleged perpetrator was aware or should have been aware.