Sexual violence

Sexual violence is any unwanted sexual behaviour or act that is forced on you or your body when you haven’t agreed to it or you’ve felt pressured to do it. In some instances it may have occurred when you were too young to understand what was happening.

Sexual violence can happen to anyone, regardless of their age, gender, sexuality, cultural background or mental/physical abilities. Sexual violence can include things like:

• unwanted touching or kissing
• being pressured or forced to do sexual things
• being pressured or forced to do sexual things to someone else's body.

Sexual violence also includes actions that do not involve touching, such as being:

• photographed without some of your clothes on
• told sexual things which make you feel uncomfortable
• shown images or videos of a sexual nature in magazines or movies, or on a mobile phone or computer
• pressured into sexual activities online
• sent emails, voice or text messages of a sexual nature, like unwanted sexting.

If any of these things have happened–or are happening–to you, it is not okay. The most important thing to know is that your body is yours, and you make the decisions about what you do with it and who you do it with.

If sexual violence is happening to you–or has happened to you in the past–you may be feeling a lot of different emotions; that is totally normal. You may be feeling:

• shame or guilt
• confusion
• anger
• fear
• anxiety
• sadness.

Sometimes, people who have experienced sexual violence blame themselves for what happened, or they may not be sure whether it was sexual violence. These feelings can make it very difficult to talk about what's been going on.

Research on sexual violence shows that–more often than not–someone who has experienced sexual violence knows the person who did it to them. The person could be a relative, friend, partner or ex-partner. This can make it difficult to tell someone about what happened, particularly if you feel people may not believe that person could do something like that.

No matter the situation, it is important to talk to someone you can trust.

You have a right to safety, respect and a life free of harm from others. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen and sometimes lives are affected by the experience of violence, including sexual violence.

Remember:

• your body is yours
• you have a right to be in control of who sees it and who touches it
• you have a right to feel safe—at all times
• you deserve respect.

If you have experienced sexual violence or you are concerned about any experiences you have had, it’s important to talk to someone you trust; this could be a friend, parent, family friend, aunt or uncle, teacher or a school counsellor.

Call the police on Triple Zero (000) if you are in an emergency situation.

If you are currently safe, but you would still like to talk to the police, you can contact Policelink for non-emergencies on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

You could also call a crisis service like Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or the DVConnect Sexual Assault Helpline on 1800 010 120, to talk about what to do next.

These services can help provide you with special support for sexual violence:

• 1800RESPECT on phone 1800 737 732 to access this 24 hour helpline for sexual assault and domestic violence support
• your GP or 13 Health on phone 13 43 25 84 for information and support
• Zig Zag Young Women's Resource Centre
• WWILD Sexual Violence Prevention Association on phone (07) 3262 9877 for people with intellectual or learning disabilities who have been victims of sexual violence.

You can also contact a general helpline to talk with someone about your feelings:

• Beyond Blue Support Service
  Talk – 1300 22 4636
  Chat
  Email
• Kids Helpline
  Talk – 1800 55 1800
  Chat
  Email
• Lifeline
  Talk – 13 11 14
  Chat