Sexual Assault Services
At Safe Harbor, we believe that every individual has a right to safety and a life free from violence.
Our Sexual Assault Services Program is here to help and support anyone who has experienced sexual violence, whether it was today or twenty-years ago.
We offer an array of free, confidential services for those impacted by sexual assault or rape. No matter when the crime happened, we can help.
What is Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is any type of sexual contact or behavior that you do not agree to.
This includes:
- Sexual intercourse
- Vaginal, anal, or oral penetration
- Fondling
- Child molestation
- Incest
- Attempted rape
- Marital or partner rape
- Alcohol and/or drug facilitated sexual assault
- Sexual contact with someone who is unconscious
Facts About Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is not only physical
It can be verbal, visual, or anything that forces a person to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention, including voyeurism (when someone watches private sexual acts), exhibitionism (when someone exposes him/herself in public), incest (sexual contact between family members), and sexual harassment. It can happen anywhere — in a friend’s or acquaintance’s home, on a date, or by a stranger in an isolated place.
Rape and sexual assault are crimes of power and control.
Acts of sexual violence are an aggressive way to dominate a person – not an attempt to achieve sexual fulfillment. Many instances of sexual assault involve threats of bodily harm, or other forms of intimidation as well as humiliation.
A survivor is never responsible for the assault.
The only person responsible for the assault is the perpetrator.
You can't predict how you will respond.
No one knows how they will respond when placed in a life-threatening situation. When under attack our primal responses are fight, flight, or freeze. There is no one right response in any situation, sometimes fighting back may result in greater injury.