Every 109 seconds, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted. Whether men, women or children, they are being sexually abused as a way for another person to get some sort of bizarre pleasure. Recently, there have been many incidents around the whole country, and in Virginia as well. We soon realized just how much we don’t know when it is about sexual abuse. There are three main kinds of sexual abuse; sexual battery, sexual assault, and rape. There is a very large misunderstanding around the state about what these terms really mean and how do they differentiate from each other.
As per the U.S. Department of Justice; “Sexual assault is any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling and attempted rape.”
Moreover, there are even more specific guidelines to what sexual assault is when looking at your own state. Specifically, § 18.2-359 the Code of Virginia covers the general description of sexual assault for the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Sexual battery can be defined as “An unwanted form of contact with an intimate part of the body that is made for purposes of sexual arousal, sexual gratification or sexual abuse. Sexual battery may occur whether the victim is clothed or not.” Threats, Intimidation, and force are all different customs that sexual battery can happen. Like sexual assault, sexual battery also has a part in the Code of Virginia under the section 18.2-67.4 §.
Rape is “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”
Mentioned above is the newest definition given by the U.S. Department of Justice, the former definition was mainly based off of females who had been raped, but the newest meaning and definition allows for all gender identities and genders to be acknowledged.
Sexual abuse in any kind of form is a very serious thing, and there are many different means that are available to you. If you or anyone else you know has ever been sexually assaulted please speak up and call our law firm, a number is given below. According to the Rape Abuse Network & Incest National Network, only six out of every thousand rapists end up in prison, by calling and telling your story you can help make that statistic change and fight for what is your right. We are always ready to help and to offer you the best possible law service you can think of.