Sexual Assault
What is Sexual Assault?
Sexual assault is any sexual contact or behavior that occurs without a person’s clear, voluntary, and informed consent. It can include unwanted touching, coercion, pressure, manipulation, sexual harassment, rape, exploitation, or trafficking. Sexual assault may involve physical force, threats, intimidation, or taking advantage of someone’s vulnerability, impairment, or inability to consent.
If You Have Experienced Sexual Assault
It Was Not Your Fault
Sexual assault is never the survivor’s fault. Responsibility always lies with the person who chose to cause harm.
You Have Options
You may choose to:
Seek medical care
Have a forensic exam (sometimes called a SANE exam)
Report to law enforcement
Speak with a confidential advocate
Tell someone you trust
Or take time before deciding anything
Medical Care Is Available
Medical care can address injuries and provide STI prevention or emergency contraception.
A forensic exam can be completed without immediately deciding to report.
SANE Exam (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) - a specialized, trauma-informed medical forensic examination for individuals who have experienced sexual assault.
It is performed by specially trained nurses and the exam collects evidence, documents injuries, and provides preventive and compassionate care.
It is confidential, voluntary, and often, no police report is required.
You can bring a support person or advocate.
UC Health Memorial Central Hospital
You are not alone.
Confidential Support Is Available
TESSA’s Confidential Victim Advocates are available 24/7 at (719) 633-3819
Understanding Consent
What consent looks like
Consent should be:
Freely given: A “yes” that’s offered without pressure, guilt, manipulation, or fear.
Reversible: Anyone can change their mind at any time, even if they agreed earlier or the relationship is ongoing.
Informed: You can only consent when you have the full context and the agreement is honest and transparent.
Enthusiastic and clear: Consent should feel mutual and unambiguous, not reluctant, silent, or uncertain.
Specific: Agreeing to one act does not mean agreeing to others.
Consent is a clear, voluntary, and ongoing agreement to participate in a specific activity. Consent is about respect, communication, and choice, and it applies to any kind of physical intimacy or sexual activity.
What is not consent
Consent is not:
Silence, freezing, or lack of resistance
“Going along with it” to avoid conflict
Consent given under pressure, intimidation, coercion, or threats
Consent from someone who is asleep, unconscious, or unable to choose freely
“We’ve done it before,” “We’re dating,” or “We’re married” (past permission is not ongoing permission)
Consent is an ongoing conversation
Consent is not a one-time question. It’s something that should be checked in on throughout an interaction, and it should always be respected when someone says “stop” or indicates discomfort.
Consent requires the ability to choose
A person must be able to understand what’s happening and make a free choice. Someone is not able to consent if they are:
Heavily intoxicated or impaired by alcohol or drugs
Unconscious, asleep, or physically helpless
Experiencing fear, intimidation, or coercion
Consent goes beyond sex
Consent also applies to everyday boundaries, like hugging, kissing, sharing images, or discussing private information. Everyone has the right to set boundaries and have them respected.
What if something didn’t feel consensual?
If you’re questioning what happened, that matters. Confusion, pressure, fear, or feeling like you couldn’t say no are important signals. Support is available, and you deserve to be taken seriously.
If you need support, contact our 24/7 Safeline:
When the Person Who Harmed You Is Someone You Know
Sexual assault is often committed by someone the survivor knows. Harm does not have to come from a stranger to be real or serious.
The person who caused harm may be:
A partner or ex-partner
A friend
A classmate or coworker
A family member
Someone you trusted
When the person is known to you, the experience can feel confusing or complicated. You may care about them. You may question what happened. You may wonder whether it “counts.”
It does.
A relationship does not replace the need for consent. Trust does not replace the need for consent. Past intimacy does not replace the need for consent.
You are not responsible for someone else’s decision to ignore your boundaries.
It is common for survivors to feel:
Shock or disbelief
Self-blame
Fear of not being believed
Concern about disrupting relationships
Pressure to stay silent
These reactions are understandable. None of them mean what happened was acceptable.
You deserve safety and support, regardless of who caused harm.
If Someone You Know Has Experienced Sexual Assault
How to Support a Survivor
Listen without judgment
Believe them
Avoid asking “why” questions
Respect their choices
Offer to help connect them to support
Do not pressure them to report
Call TESSA’s 24/7 Safeline at (719) 633-3819 to speak confidentially with an advocate.
You don’t have to do this alone.
And neither do they.