Sexual Violence

Understanding Sexual Violence

Sexual Violence refers to any act of sexual activity that occurs without a person's consent. This can happen to anyone: children or adults, women or men.

While some people associate Sexual Violence with stranger attacks, most incidents are perpetrated by someone the victim knows, such as a partner, friend, colleague, or family member.

Forms of Sexual Violence

Sexual Violence includes a range of behaviours, such as:

  • Rape
  • Sexual Assault
  • Child Sexual Abuse
  • Upskirting: taking images or videos under someone's clothing without consent
  • Revenge Pornography: sharing intimate images without consent
  • Enforced Prostitution: forcing someone into sex work
  • Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): the non-medical cutting or alteration of female genitalia
  • Indecent Exposure: exposing oneself inappropriately to others

What is Consent?

For consent to be valid, a person must have both freedom and capacity to make an informed decision.

  • Freedom — No one should feel pressured, manipulated, or forced into sexual activity.
  • Capacity — A person must be mentally and physically able to make a choice and fully understand what they are agreeing to.

Consent is not just about saying 'yes' or 'no': someone must actively and enthusiastically agree to sexual activity. If someone is silent, hesitant, intoxicated, asleep, or afraid, they are not giving consent.

A simple rule: If it's not an enthusiastic yes, it's a no.

How Common is Sexual Violence?

Sadly, Sexual Violence is widespread. Research shows:

  • 1 in 4 women have been raped or sexually assaulted since the age of 16.
  • 1 in 6 children experience child sexual abuse.
  • 1 in 18 men have been raped or sexually assaulted.

These statistics highlight the scale of the issue, but support is available for anyone affected.

The Impact of Sexual Violence

The effects of Sexual Violence can be devastating and may impact every part of a survivor's life, including:

  • Physical health: Injuries, reproductive health issues, and chronic pain.
  • Mental health: PTSD, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
  • Emotional wellbeing: Shame, guilt, fear, and difficulty trusting others.
  • Daily life: Struggles with relationships, work, and personal safety.

For many, the trauma of Sexual Violence can have lifelong effects, but specialist support can make a difference.

Help is Available

If you or someone you know has experienced Sexual Violence, support is available. You are not alone, and it's never too late to seek help.

Support Services

Our Approach

At Eden Safeguarding, I understand the complexity of Sexual Violence and its impacts. My approach is trauma-informed, recognizing the unique needs of each survivor and the importance of creating safe spaces for healing.

Whether through training professionals to better support survivors or providing consultancy to organisations developing safeguarding policies, I am committed to contributing to a safer, more supportive society.

If you are interested in training or consultancy related to Sexual Violence, please get in touch to discuss your needs.