The Forensic Nurse

Jan 21 2008

Types of Sexual Assault

Posted by: TheForensicNurse in Education, Forensic Nursing Terms, SANE, Sexual Assaults, tags: , Aggravated Sexual Assault, Rape, Sexual Assault

According to the United States Code, there are two general classifications of sexual assault, sexual abuse and aggravated sexual abuse.

So what is the difference?

Sexual abuse is described as acts where an individual is forced to engage in sexual activity by use of threats or other fear tactics, or in instances where an individual may not be physically able to decline.

Aggrevated Sexual Abuse is when an individual is forced to submit to sexual acts by use of physical force, threats of injury or death, kidnapping, or by substances that render a person unconscious or impared.

Some other terms that we may want to clarify at this point are:

Sexual act: contact between penis and vagina or penis and anus that involves penetration; contact between the mouth and genitals or anus; penetration of the vagina or anus with an object; or direct touching (not through clothing) of the genitals of an individual under the age of 16.

Sexual contact: intentional touching of the genitals, breasts, buttocks, anus, inner thigh, or groin with no sexual penetration.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 21st, 2008 at 5:40 pm and is filed under Education, Forensic Nursing Terms, SANE, Sexual Assaults. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.