+ Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is described as an unwanted and non-consensual act of a sexual nature forced upon a person, either by physical force, intimidation or coercion, or an attempt is made to do this act. Sexual assault includes attempted rape and rape, aggravated sexual assault (with a weapon), as well as non-consensual acts that do not involve penetration such as groping, touching, and forcing someone to watch or perform a sexual act. Sexual assault also includes when a person is unable to provide consent, for example if affected by drugs or alcohol, underage or intellectually unable to give consent.

• Please check your state legislation for correct definitions and types of offenses

+ Child Sexual Abuse

Child sexual abuse is any type of sexual activity, ranging from fondling to intercourse, performed on a child by an individual who is older and in a position of power or authority. Child sexual abuse also includes grooming and the production, consumption, dissemination and exchange of child sexual exploitation materials. Statutory definitions of child sexual abuse can be found here.

Users should check the relevant legislation of their state to be sure there have been no changes since the release of this publication.

+ Child Sexual Exploitation

Child sexual exploitation is a form of sexual abuse where a child is manipulated or coerced to participate in a sexual activity in exchange for, or on the promise of, rewards by the offender. These rewards may include affection, attention, gifts, food, accommodation, material items or money.

Child sexual exploitation can occur in person or online, and sometimes the child or young person may not even realise it is occurring. It can also include the production, consumption, distribution and exchange of child sexual exploitation materials.

+ Youth Sexual Violence and Abuse

The State of Queensland (2017) provides a definition of youth sexual violence and abuse as “sexual contact between persons where either the perpetrator or the victim is under 18 years of age and where such contact is non-consensual, violent or illegal.”

Such contact is non-consensual if either person under 16 or lacks the capacity to consent, or if a situation of imbalance of power exists, and if there is the presence of a threat or coercion to either person

+ Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is defined as any unwelcome sexual advance, sexual favours or other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature which makes a person feel offended, humiliated and/or intimidated, where it is reasonable to expect the person might feel that way.

Examples of sexually harassing behaviour include:

• unwelcome touching
• staring or leering
• suggestive comments, remarks or jokes
• unwanted invitations to go out on dates
• uninvited sexual propositions
• requests for sex
• intrusive questions about a person's private life or body
• unnecessary familiarity, such as deliberately brushing up against a person
• sexually explicit physical contact
• sexually explicit pictures or posters
• sexually explicit emails or SMS text messages

The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) defines the nature and circumstances in which sexual harassment is unlawful. It is also unlawful for a person to be victimised for making, or proposing to make, a complaint of sexual harassment to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.

+ Technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV)

TFSV refers to a range of unwanted sexual behaviours communicated and transmitted through digital means. This can include online/digital harassment, coercive sex-based communications, and sexuality-based harassment.

Examples of TFSV include:

• unwanted texting
• cyberstalking using mobile phones and social media technology
• harassing and repetitive text messages or phone calls of a sexual nature
• using technology to record sexual activity without consent
• Creating fake sexual images or videos
• Sharing sexual images or video without consent or those involved, often called image-based abuse

+ Intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV)

IPSV refers to the perpetration of sexual acts without consent within an intimate relationship, for example marriage, defacto relationship or dating).

It is also known as marital rape, sexual coercion, date rape or violence, and intimate sexual violence. IPSV is significant within domestic and family violence and is often perpetrated alongside other forms of abuse. It may involve physical force or psychological or emotional coercion and intimidation, unwanted sexual acts, and tactics to control reproduction.

+ Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA)

DFSA involves behaviour by a perpetrator towards an individual who are unable to provide sexual consent due to the disability produced by the effects of alcohol and drugs, whether voluntarily or involuntarily (Prego-Meleiro et al., 2020).

Alcohol and drugs make it easier for a perpetrator to commit sexual assault because they lower inhibitions, reduce a person’s ability to resist, and can prevent them from remembering details of the assault.