Sexual violence is a public health epidemic in the United States and in Montgomery County, impacting our family members, neighbors and friends. It impacts individuals of all ages and demographic boundaries. Sexual violence is a traumatic crime that affects survivors physically, mentally, emotionally, behaviorally, and spiritually. It also impacts families, communities, and systems. Sexual assault in any form is often a devastating crime. Assailants can be strangers, acquaintances, friends, or family members.
Assailants commit sexual assault by way of violence, threats, coercion, manipulation, pressure, or tricks. Whatever the circumstances, no one asks or deserves to be sexually assaulted. While there are specific legal definitions of rape and sexual assault in the Texas Penal Code, sexual violence is best understood as a broader continuum of unwanted non-mutual sexual activities that range from subtle to extremely violent. Sexual assault can include, but is not limited to, rape, sexual threats and intimidation, incest, sexual assault by intimate partners, child sexual abuse, human sexual trafficking, sexual harassment, street harassment and other forms of unwelcome, coerced, or non-consensual activity.
The term sexual abuse is also often used to describe the wide range of activities that constitute sexual assault. Should I Report to Law Enforcement? The decision to report to law enforcement is entirely yours.
Some survivors say that reporting and seeking justice helped them recover and regain a sense of control over their lives. Understanding how to report and learning more about the experience can take away some of the unknowns and help you feel more prepared. Then I finally told someone my story.
When I started to hear the patterns and then see the patterns, I knew I needed to change something. That change ended up being hard but they were with me through those hard times. As an advocacy agency they continue to contribute to assisting without placing judgment or expectations upon those who are in need of their services.
