Sexual Coercion

psychological disorders resulting from sexual assault

anxiety disorders depression substance abuse PTSD develop fears associated with the trauma (ex: raped in elevator, now scared of riding in elevators)

based on lecture, what is the definition of consent?

consent is clearly communicating YES and clearly indicating that you want to engage in sexual activity you can only consent for yourself you must be ABLE to verbally give consent implying NO through behaviour is just as good as saying no you can stop/change your mind at any time people in positions of power cannot abuse it to get sexual activity

the total number of sexual assaults reported to police peaked in 1993 and has been __________ ever since

declining *including a 4% decline from 2008-2009

in Canada, there has been a rising incidence of drug-facilitated sexual-assault. What do these drugs do and what are some examples?

drugs are mixed into drinks -- odourless and tasteless - often cause amnesia for up to 12hrs (vitcims don't really remember, unlikely to report incidents) ex: GHB, Rohypnol * a survey found that 20.9% of sexual assaults in Ontario were drug facilitated

how can we prevent sexual assault?

educational interventions at colleges/universities have seemed to decrease incidence ultimately, we need cultural change of attitudes, thought - til then, women need to take precautions (unfortunate that victim has to take responsibility to stay safe)

gang sexual assault

exercise of power as major motive tend to be more vicious than individual assaults relatively few survivors of gang assaults reported the attacks to police or sought support

what are some of the main reasons for victims not reporting the assault to the police?

fear of retaliation social stigma emotional stress of trial victims do tend to turn to freinds, family, co-workers, doctors though

male survivors tend to suffer _____physical injury than females, but at least equal emotional/psychological damage

greater more often attacked by multiple assailants, held captive longer, more reluctant to report

what are some of effects on the daily life of a sexual assault survivor?

in crisis for days/weeks after attack - insomnia, crying, eating problems, headaches, irritability, anxiety, depression, cystitis (bladder infection) emotional distress tends to peak about 3 weeks after the assault and persists for a month or two before getting better

there are 3 levels of sexual assault in canada

level 1 level 2 level 3

number of level __ assaults has decreased, but number of level ___ and ___ have remained fairly stable since 1993

level 1 has decreased level 2 and 3 have remained stable since 1993

level 1 sexual assault

minor physical injury or no physical injury to victim conviction punishable by up to 10 years *whether consent has been freely given is a central issue

what are characteristics of sexually coercive men?

more likely to have experienced childhood abuse more sex partners in adolescence deviant sexual fantasies during childhood/adolescence most are not mentally ill, but many have anti-social personality disorders *no one type of man commits sexual assault (different healths, backgrounds, criminal histories)

Date Sexual Assault

one of the most common kinds of sexual assault often a mistunderstanding of cues (wanna come upstairs? no meaning yes, etc) sexual assault charges from dating situation usually come down to his word against hers, and hers will be less persuasive if she agreed to have dinner with him, go home with him, etc

rates for sexual assault of males are far lower than those against females, but incidents are much more common that most people assume. most of these assaults are committed by:

other men! most are not gay, but hetero with motives or domination/contol, revenge/retaliation, sadism/degredation, status/affiliation usually carried out by gang members often occur in prison but definitely not always

level 2 sexual assault

perpetrator uses or threatens to use a weapon, threatens victim's friends/family, causes bodily harm to a third party, multiple assailants conviction punishable by up to 14 years

Canadian Law and sexual assault

perspective that sexual assault is an act of power/dominance rather than an act of sex there is no statute of limitations for sexual assault (victim can go to the police years later and charges can still be laid) recognizes that sexual assault is gender-neutral (men and women can assault, hetero and homosexually) acknowledges that it can be committed by a victim's spouse

Acquaintance Sexual Assault

sexual assault by an acquaintance of the person who is assaulted much less likely to be reported to the police than stranger sexual assault victims may not perceive it as being sexual assault 2007 URC indicates that 82% of victims knew their assailant in some way -- 51% by friends/acquaintance -- 28% assaulted by family members

Stranger Sexual Assault

sexual assault that is committed by an assailant previously unknown to the person who is assaulted makes up for only 18% of incidents

level 3 sexual assault

sexual assault that wounds, maims, or disfigures the victim conviction punishable by up to life in prison

should you confront an attacker?

some women have had success warding off attacks by pleading, crying, screaming, running away self-defence can help fend them off, but it can also provoke them to be more aggressive

According to the 2007 UCR, where in Canada has the highest rate of sexual assaults?

territories had the most: #1 Nunavut, #2 Northwestern Terr., #3 Yukon out of the provinces: Saskatchewan, Manitoba lowest rates: Ontario and PEI

sexual coercion

the imposition of sexual activity on someone through the verbal threats, verbal pressure, intimidation, blackmailing, guilting, etc ie: manipulation until someone gives in to sexual assault

14% of gay and bisexual males in BC asked if they'd ever been forced into unwanted sex. 14% reported that...

they had been coerced into sex before 14 - and half of these reported incidents of forced anal sex

what is the most primarily reported form of coercion?

verbal coercion and unwanted sexual contact after arguing

what are some of the common social attitudes and myths?

- women say no when they mean yes - women like men who are pushy and forceful - women dress in a way that invites assault - deep down, women want to be assaulted found that belief in sexual-assault myths are NOT predictive of coercive male behaviour

researchers estimate that only __ in 10 sexually assaults in Canada are actually reported to the police

1 in 10

in a college sample of males (survey about coercion)

1-14% had been raped 27% experienced verbal coercion leading to sex 73% experienced any unwanted sexual behaviour

treatment of sexual assault survivors

2 stage process 1) help victim through the crisis after the attack (provide support, info, develop coping strategies) 2) foster long-term adjustment psychotherapy can help deal with emotional consequences, avoid self blame, improve self-esteem, establish loving relationships crisis centres, hotlines, peer-counseling groups, referral agencies provide support (mostly all volunteers)

According to the UCR, how many sexual assaults were reported in Canada in 2009, and at what level?

21 000 assaults, 95% of them classified as level 1

in a study of rates of coercion among people in relationships

31%F and 19.6%M reported being sexually coerced in their current relationship 62%F and 35%M reported being sexually coerced in their previous relationship

for level 3 assaults that are reported to the police, victimization rates are __ times greater for women than for men

4 times greater for women

what did most incidents of sexual assault consist of according to the 2009 GSS?

81% of cases involved unwanted kissing, touching, grabbing, fondling about 1 in 5 involved more serious attacks

anti-social personality disorder

A personality disorder characterized by a pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.

Partner or Marital Sexual Assault

ILLEGAL IN CANADA more common than date rape because relationships has already been established some men believe it's his wife's duty to satisfy his sexual needs, even if she doesn't want to likely go unreported can occur within a pattern of violence/physical intimidation

in _________ of cases, perpetrators are friends, acquaintances, or neighbors of the victims

MORE THAN HALF!

sexual assault

Sexual contact that is committed without the other party's consent or with a party who is not capable of giving consent (such as a child or mentally handicapped individual).

What are the types of sexual assault?

Stranger Acquaintance Date Gang Partner/Marital

what 2 data sources does Stats Can rely on to track incidence of sexual assault?

Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR): tracks the number of substantiated sexual assaults reported to police General Social Survey (GSS): asks Canadians whether they've been victims of sexual assault (includes incidents that may have gone unreported)