Sexual assault can happen to ANYONE, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, social class, ability, religion, or education level. There are actions we can take to reduce the risk of experiencing sexual assault, but the only person who can stop sexual assault completely is the perpetrator.
Know that it is NOT your fault. You may be replaying the situation over and over in your mind, asking yourself what you could or should have done differently. But remember, sexual violence is an act of power, and you are not responsible for another person’s choices and actions! You did what you needed to do to survive. Nothing you did caused the violence!
As a result of Sexual violence, in any form, you may be feeling as though your life is chaotic or out of control. Depression, fear or anxiety is normal and can surface days, weeks, months or even years after the incident.
Remember that it is a time to take special care of yourself. If you have never talked about what happened with anyone, you may decide that now is a good time to do so. Healing from abuse can be a process, and RSVP can be a source of support in many ways:
Rape, harassment, relationship abuse, and other forms of sexual abuse are crimes. They are motivated by someone else’s desire to control, humiliate and harm. No matter when, where or how it happened, sexual abuse is never a victim or survivor’s fault. Only the perpetrator could have prevented what occurred.
Relationship and sexual abuse can happen to ANYONE. It impacts people across all boundaries; regardless of one’s gender identity, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, race, ability level, education level, or sexual orientation.