These are the questions that many women who have experienced sexual victimization ask themselves. The process of answering these questions can be very painful. So painful that often times the woman chooses to sort through them with the help of a psychotherapist. To understand the plight of a woman who has been sexually victimized one must first understand the different terms that describe the victimization. Sexual harassment refers to any unwelcomed sexual advance, verbal or non-verbal, of an offensive sexual nature.
Sexual assault is a form of sexual harassment.
It involves unwelcomed touching of another person. It can be defined as any unwanted physical activity forced by one person on another. Sexual battery is a form of sexual assault. It entails a particular type of touch, namely penetration. Sexual battery can be defined as forced anal, oral or vaginal penetration by any object, except when these acts are performed for bona fide medical purposes.