Nobody should have to live in fear. This pamphlet presents the facts concerning sexual assaults. It will help us to understand this serious problem and to begin to talk about it. A sexual assault is any act of an unwanted sexual nature, forced by one person on another person. Any form of sexual assault is a crime, even if it occurs between people who are married or who are dating.
Statistics show that almost all sexual assaults are committed by men towards women or children.
A very small percentage of the victims of sexual assaults are adult men. Rape is unwanted sexual intercourse. The law defines sexual assault as any act of an unwanted sexual nature, including rape and unwanted touching and caressing. But more than half of all sexual assaults occur in private homes. They can be of any racial or ethnic origin.