Teen Sexual Violence

Sexual violence is any act (verbal and/or physical) which breaks a person's trust and/or threatens their safety and is sexual in nature. Victims/survivors of sexual assaults are forced, coerced and/or manipulated to participate in the unwanted sexual activity. Criminal sexual contact, sexual harassment, sexual stalking on the Internet and lewdness are also forms of sexual violence.

Sexual assault is the legal term for rape and includes vaginal, oral or anal sex without the victim’s consent or with a victim who is unable to consent.

Facts:

• Young women ages 12-34 are at the highest risk for sexual assault.
• Risk peaks in the late teens, girls 16 to 19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.
• 38% of those victimized by rape are young women between the ages of 14 and 17.

Acquaintance rapes account for 93% of all rapes of teens.

Consent is the basis for sexual relations… this means:

• The only thing that means yes is yes -- providing that the person saying yes is at the age of consent.
• No means no; silence means no; maybe means no.
• If someone is too drunk to say no, or too disabled to say no, or too young to say no, that also means no.  
• You have the right to change your mind about having sex.
• Kissing only means you agree to kiss.
• Just because you are at his house, he is not entitled to sex.
• No one owes anyone sex for money, or for buying something.
• Sexual assault is a widespread and under-reported crime.

• 911 For Emergencies
• Get medical attention, whether you plan to report the rape or not
• If you ARE going to report the crime to police DON’T shower, bathe, douche, go to the bathroom, eat, drink or smoke
• Go to a hospital emergency room

• Mercer County Hotline at 609-394-9000
• New Jersey Statewide Hotline at 1-800-601-7200
• National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE
• If you know someone who has been sexually assaulted, you can call a hotline for information and encourage them to seek help