Sexual Assault

The voice of a survivor:

I'm finally reaching the point where I am nearly healed from the rape. Not the rape - my rape. It's time to own it. I'm not ashamed of what happened. I can talk about it without crying. I don't think about it every day. I still have my bad days, days where the thought of having to get out of bed and put on my happy face is devastating. But I've made it through the hard part, and I finally realize that we can heal from what happened. It takes time, pain, tears, anger, frustration, fear, and sadness, but we can make it.

The process of healing has been a hard one. I find myself consistently amazed at how much I have changed and grown. I have learned so much about pain and empathy and love in the last six months. Sometimes I push myself too hard. I race ahead of myself and have to struggle to keep up. In two months I went from having told no one to having told the world. I don't regret that.

Sexual assault impacts the lives of youth, women, men, and children. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can contact Moving to End Sexual Assault’s 24-hour support line at 303-443.7300. The call is free and confidential. You do not need to give your name. There specially trained counselors on-call 24-hours a day that can provide support and information; you do not need to be in crisis to call.

Definition of sexual assault in Colorado:
Sexual assault is sexual activity without consent. It is important to remember that consent means to have permission. If someone does not have consent to engage in sexual activity, it is considered sexual assault.

Sexual activity ranges from:

• Observation (Observing or photographing someone's intimate parts without their knowledge when they expect privacy)
• Unwanted Sexual Touching (Touching someone's private parts on top of or under their clothing)
• Penetration (Inserting something into a body opening. This can be oral, anal, or vaginal with a body part or object)

Without consent:

Forced, coerced, or simply unwanted…

OR, the person is UNABLE to consent …e.g. (1) someone is physically or mentally disabled (2) someone is unconscious from sleeping, drinking or doing drugs and passes out…or is in and out of consciousness = felony sexual assault.

Sexual assault on a child:

A child (or minor) in Colorado is someone who is under 18 years old. There are times when teenagers engage in sexual activities* voluntarily -- but it's still sexual assault under these conditions:

• Victim is 14 years old or younger, and there is any sexual contact with someone 4 or more years older than the victim (e.g., a 14 year old and an 18 year old). This is sexual assault even if the 14 year old consents!
  
• Victim is 15 or 16 years old, and there is any sexual contact with someone 10 or more years older than the victim (e.g., a 15 and 25 year old, a 16 and 26 year old). This is sexual assault even if the 15 or 16 year old consents!
  
• Victim is under 18 years old and there is any sexual contact with someone in a position of trust (e.g., parent, step-parent, coach, teacher, minister, friend's parent, boss, etc.), even if the teen consents.

*Sexual activities include any sexual contact, including observation, touching on the intimate parts, or sexual penetration.

Reminder: Any sexual activity without consent is always sexual assault, regardless of the age of the victim!

In Colorado:

• 1 in 4 females and 1 in 17 males will be sexually assaulted.
• 61% of sexual assaults are against people under 18 years old.
• 29% of sexual assaults are against children under 12 years old.
• 85% of rapes are committed by someone the victim knows.
• Sexual assault is the most under-reported crime.