SAY NO TO RAPE BY ADANDIIGBO 2018 HRM NNEOMA OCHO

What is Rape? Rape is a violent crime involving sexual acts forced on one person by another. Rape is technically defined as forced penetration (with any body part or object) including anal, vaginal or oral intercourse. Rape is illegal and while the term "rape" specifies penetration, other sexual acts not involving penetration, when forced on someone, are also illegal. The forms of rape may be specified based on who is committing the rape, who the rape victim is and the specific actions involved in the rape. Some types of rape are considered much more severe than others. I. TYPES OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE Stranger Rape: Is rape or sexual assault perpetrated by someone unknown to the survivor. Blitz Sexual Assault: The perpetrator rapidly and brutally assaults the victim with no prior contact. Blitz assaults usually occur at night in a public place. Contact Sexual Assault: The perpetrator works to gain trust and confidence before assaulting. Home Invasion Sexual Assault: Perpetrator breaks into survivors home to commit the assault. Acquaintance Rape: Is an umbrella term used to describe sexual assaults in which the survivor and the perpetrator are known to each other, whether by passing acquaintance or someone the survivor knows intimately. This is the most common form of rape. Child Sexual Abuse: Is a form of child abuse that includes sexual activity with a minor. A child cannot consent to any form of sexual activity, period. When a perpetrator engages with a child this way, they are committing a crime that can have lasting effects on the victim for years. Child sexual abuse does not need to include physical contact between a perpetrator and a child. Some forms of child sexual abuse include: Obscene phone calls, text messages, or digital interaction; Fondling; Exhibitionism, or exposing oneself to a minor; Masturbation in the presence of a minor or forcing the minor to masturbate; Intercourse; Sex of any kind with a minor, including vaginal, oral, or anal; Producing, owning, or sharing pornographic images or movies of children; Sex trafficking; Any other sexual conduct that is harmful to a child's mental, emotional, or physical welfare. Statutory Rape: Is defined as unlawful intercourse with a minor, California law mandates that an adult cannot have sex with a minor, and a minor cannot have sex with another minor, even if the intercourse was consensual. Spousal/Partner Rape: Is between two individuals who are in a relationship. Sexual violence often works alongside among abusive behavior. Women who have been physically abused by their partner have often experienced sexual abuse, and haven’t disclosed or did not realize sexual violence does not always include physical violence, making it difficult to acknowledge the abuse. Incest: Is defined as sexual abuse by a relative, sexual contact/abuse between family members. Serial Rape: Is the most frequently sensationalized form of rape. Because of the frequently gruesome nature of the assaults and because of the opportunity to prey on people’s fears, serial rape is frequently covered extensively by the media. The term serial rape is used to describe a series of rapes committed on different occasions by the same perpetrator. An important distinction is that this term is rarely used to describe marital or date rape, even though these types of rapes can happen repeatedly. Instead, the serial rapist has multiple victims. Substance Facilitated Rape: Occurs when alcohol or drugs are used to compromise an individual's ability to consent to sexual activity. These substances make it easier for a perpetrator to commit sexual assault because they inhibit a person’s ability to resist and can prevent them from remembering the assault. Drugs and alcohol can cause diminished capacity, a legal term that varies in definition Multiple Perpetrator/Gang Rape: Occurs when two or more perpetrators act together to sexually assault the same victim. Some common aspects of multiple-perpetrator assault include: planning the assault in advance; using substance-facilitated sexual assault; using the assault to introduce or reinforce membership in a group, such as a gang, sports team, or club; targeting a victim that has an existing connection with one of the perpetrators, often sexual in nature; beginning as a consensual activity and introducing others to participate against the victim’s will or without consent Sexual Harassment: Is unwanted and unwelcome sexual behavior that interferes with your life, work, or education. This behavior can include verbal or physical acts as well as acts that affect you by creating an environment that is “hostile.” The harassment can take place in many different contexts: on the streets, on public transportation, in public places, or in schools, workplaces, institutions, and so on. Sexual harassment can include actions such as sexual comments, physical contact such as someone brushing up against you, demands for sexual behavior from someone who is in a position of authority or power over you (for example, a boss or a teacher), and the creation of a hostile environment. Date Rape: Is a specific kind of acquaintance rape, referring to assaults by a man who is dating the woman and assaults her during that date. Effects and Impacts of Rape/Sexual abuse and Harassment The most immediate person affected by sexual violence is the victim/survivor, but the effects of sexual violence also go far beyond individual survivors, impacting their closest relationships as well as impacting communities and our society at large.The effect of rape will vary for each person as we are all affected in different ways and recover at different rates. The most common and lasting effects of rape involve mental health concerns and diminished social confidence. Here are some of the common effects. Physical Effects of Rape Physical effects of rape can arise from both forced sexual assault and those not involving forcible submission, such as drug-assisted date rape. Forced sexual assault frequently causes visible bruising or bleeding in and around the vaginal or anal area and bruises on other parts of the body from coercive violence. But both forced and other types of rape can have many other physical consequences: Painful intercourse (with significant other) Urinary infections Uterine fibroids – non-cancerous tumors in muscle wall Pregnancy Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) – HIV, genital warts, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and others Disassociation / emotional numbness: For many an initial reaction to being raped is one of shock and emotional numbness. Many people initially feel calm and shut off from what's happened. This reaction can sometimes surprise friends, family and professionals who expect survivors to be distraught immediately after an assault. However, disassociation is a natural defence mechanism and is perfectly normal. Usually after a few days or weeks you will begin to have a range of other reactions including anger, fear and shock. Fear: Depending on the circumstances you may feel fear about a number of things. You might have been physically threatened during the assault, you may be fearful of reporting to the police because you are worried about what this will lead to, you may feel reluctant to tell friends and family for fear of upsetting them. If you know the assailant or he knows where you live you might be afraid of continued violence. You might feel worried about becoming pregnant or contracting an STD. Later on you may worry about being able to be in an intimate or sexual relationship. All of these fears are absolutely normal and common and given time and support they can be overcome. Discussing them with a friend or counsellor will help. Embarrassment & shame: A significant number of people who've been sexually assaulted feel embarrassed or shameful about what has happened. Most of us find it difficult to discuss intimate things so it is not surprising that you might not find it easy to discuss what has happened with strangers or even friends. In these circumstances it is sometimes easier to talk to someone on a telephone helpline who should take things at your pace. Guilt: Feeling guilty when you've been raped is common. You may feel that you could have done something to prevent the attack or, if you know the attacker, you may feel that you somehow 'provoked' the rape. Remember, rape or sexual assault is never your fault – young girls and women in their 80's are raped. Men who rape have control over their behaviour and no matter what you wear, what you drink or your relationship with the assailant you have the right to say no to sex. Practical factors: sexual violence can disturb your normal routine of living and many aspects of your life. You may feel a strong need to get away and to make practical changes in your life. Your priority should be to feel safe. Do whatever you need to do to get back your feelings of security and safety. Get a guard dog, install extra outside lights, leave interior lights on, get an alarm system, invite friends or family members to sleep over, buy hand held alarms, etc. It is not silly to want to protect yourself. Do what makes you feel comfortable and safe. Depression: Depression can be expected as you start to come to terms with or recover from any major trauma or emotionally charged event. Dealing with the memory of the assault as well as the things that follow (the police, telling friends and family going to court, having medical examinations etc.) can be extremely draining physically and mentally. Recurrent dreams and nightmares: You may experience recurrent dreams and nightmares as your brain tries to process, understand and recover from what has happened. This is normal and the nightmares usually become less frequent over time. Talking about them with someone you trust will help – it might not stop the dreams altogether but it will help them seem less powerful and overwhelming. Prevention of Sexual Assault: This will remain a mirage until society puts in place institutional framework to deal comprehensively with actual cases of sexual assault. This approach involves functional, skilled, and synchronized services and also includes the criminal justice system, the police, social services, and sexual assault services. Encouraging victims/survivors of sexual assault to break their silence by making freely available such services, which should be community based, and the successful prosecution of perpetrators, will serve as a deterrent and hopefully prevent the next person from falling victim. Aftermath of Rape The aftermath of rape involves a cluster of acute and chronic physical and psychological effects. It's important that victims receive comprehensive care that addresses both the short and long-term effects of rape as they become apparent. Frequently a victim's intimate relationship, if present prior to the assault, disintegrates within one year after the rape. This only adds to the psychological impact of the rape on the victim. Victims of extremely violent rape, or those who were assaulted repeatedly or at a very young age, may need treatment for the rest of their lives. A man does not become a real man by showing his physical domination over women. A man becomes a real man by loving, respecting and protecting women. #Say_no_to_rape #Say_no_to_sexual_abuse #Say_no_to_stigmatization_of_rape_victims #Support_rape_victims_and_not_victimize_them Article by Nneoma Emmanuel Ochor Adandiigbo 2018/2019

ITS SEASON 15