What are Common Types of Sexual Assault?
Sexual assault is an emotional topic, but it is important that victims are able to get the information they need to understand their situation better. One of the first questions victims ask is whether or not their incident actually constituted to sexual assault. It is a common question that requires a compassionate but reliable answer. To aid victims in understanding sexual assault, here is a list of the most common types of assault committed.
Rape
Rape is a sexual act done against the victim’s will. The most common form of rape is intercourse, but this term is also used to describe oral sex as well. Marital rape is a form of this type of sexual assault and it occurs when a spouse is forced to commit a sexual act against their will. Sodomy is also a form of rape that is used to describe forcible anal sex and sometimes oral sex as well.
Unwanted Touching
There are many levels of unwanted touching, but they all involve unwanted physical contact between two people that does not involve sexual intercourse. This can involve a person grabbing at another person’s body, or it can also describe someone forcibly touching someone in their genital area.
Unwanted touching is something that can be done in a couple of different ways. An aggressor can take their own hands and touch a victim in an unwanted way, or the aggressor can force the victim to do the touching by physically restraining the victim.
Sex With A Minor
Each state has its own age of consent and if a person below that age of consent has sex then that is considered sexual assault. If the age of consent is 18, as it is in New York, then anyone below the age of 18 is unable to give consent for sex. This means that if someone over the age of 18 has sex with a minor, that interaction is considered sexual assault.
Each of these types of assault has different subcategories that contain more detailed descriptions. For example, acquaintance rape is when a victim is coerced into unwanted sexual contact by someone they know.
We are experienced sexual harassment attorneys who have had years of helping sexual assault victims. We encourage you to give us a call if you are the victim of sexual assault so that we can help you with our vast network of resources, and explain your options to you in terms that are easy to understand.