20-25% of college-aged women will be victims of sexual violence at some point during their undergraduate years.
Sexual Assault and Sexual Abuse
Sexual assault and sexual abuse are unwanted physical contact of a sexual nature. Both occur in all neighborhoods, among people of all ages, races, ethnicities, gender identities, and sexual orientations.
Rape is unwanted sexual penetration. Usually sexual assault is the legal term while rape is more colloquial. In this website, we use the terms Sexual Assault and Rape interchangeably.
According to the Illinois Criminal Sexual Assault Act, criminal sexual assault is defined as an act of sexual penetration with the use or threat of force or an act of sexual penetration when the accused knew that the victim was "unable to understand the nature of the act or was unable to give knowing consent." Sexual penetration is defined as any contact, however slight, between the sex organ or anus of one person by an object, the sex organ, mouth, or anus of another person, or any intrusion, however slight, or any part of the body of one person or of any animal or object into the sex organ or anus of another person. Evidence of emission of semen is not required to prove sexual penetration. The survivor is not required to prove that force was used, only that the threat of force was present.
Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault constitutes an act of sexual assault with a dangerous weapon; or when there is bodily harm; or when the accused threatens the life of the victim or another; or in the commission of another felony; or the accused delivered any controlled substance to the victim, including use of rape drugs to the victim.
Sexual abuse constitutes unwanted sexual contact up to penetration. That is, sexual abuse is "any intentional or knowing touching or fondling by the victim of the accused, either directly or through clothing, of the sex organs, anus or breast of the victim or the accused… for the purpose of sexual gratification or arousal of the victim or the accused".
Please note that according to the Illinois Criminal Sexual Assault Act of 1984, sexual assault and sexual abuse can be perpetrated against both sexes and any age group, by assailants of all ages.
Please note that all laws to which this section referred are Illinois State Laws, primarily the Illinois Criminal Sexual Assault Act of 1984. More information about laws in another state may be available at the website of the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network.
More information about Sexual Assault support services can be found at http://www.uchicago.edu/sexualassault.
