#67. Talking About Sexual Assault

This Conversation Will Help You…

1. Name what sexual assault is and what different things count as sexual assault (umbrella term)
2. Understanding of the frequency in which sexual assault happens (statistics)
3. Understanding that sexual assault happens to people of all genders, orientations, ages, and backgrounds.

Think About This First

• Sexual assault can be an uncomfortable thing to talk about. KCSARC's 24-hour resource line is available if you need help having this converstion. 1-888-99-VOICE.

Having the Conversation

Start Here:

What is sexual assault?

I know you’ve heard the term before. It’s a pretty general term for a lot of things - sometimes it’s called an “umbrella term.”

What are some things that you think fall under that umbrella?

Where is the line drawn between sexual harassment and sexual assault?

When you hear about sexual assault, what are the things that you hear about most?

What things do you not often hear about?

Continue:

Do you know that sexual assault is very common?

Some pretty general numbers are that one in every four girls and one in every six boys will be sexually assaulted by the time they are eighteen. That means you almost certainly know someone who has had this happen to them.

Keep Talking:

When you hear about sexual assault, who is usually the person doing the assaulting?

We usually hear about men doing this, and we usually hear about women being assaulted. Does this mean that only men assault and only women get assaulted?

We know this isn’t true - sexual assault can happen to any person, no matter what their gender or sexual orientation.