What is sexual violence?
Sexual violence explained
Sexual violence is any unwanted sexual behaviour, including sexual assault or harassment. Any sexual behaviour where there is no consent is sexual violence.
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is when someone uses intimidation, physical force, or coercion to force you into doing something sexual without your consent.
Sexual assault can include:
- rape and attempted rape
- unwanted sexual touching, fondling, or groping
- being forced to perform a sexual act on another person.
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is any unwanted sexual conduct carried out to either offend, humiliate, or intimidate another person.
Sexual harassment can be:
- Verbal—making sexually explicit comments, innuendoes, jokes, or requests for dates or sexual favours.
- Non-verbal—staring in a way that makes another person uncomfortable, making obscene gestures, or sharing sexual images or messages through text or email.
- Physical—uninvited physical contact, such as groping, hugging, or touching someone in a sexual way.
What’s the difference between positive sexual experiences and sexual violence?
Positive sexual experiences only happen when consent is freely given by everyone involved.
Here are some common examples of the difference between positive sexual experiences and sexual violence.
| Positive sexual experience | Sexual violence |
|---|---|
| Intimate behaviour that you want to receive, that makes you feel safe, equal and respected | Uninvited intimacy, such as unwanted touching or groping or sexual propositions or remarks. |
| You feel safe to share sexual messages, photographs or videos, knowing they won’t be shared without your permission. | Sharing sexual photographs or messages, or recording sexual activity without permission. |
| When you’re unable to consent, your partner recognises and respects this and does not initiate or continue sexual behaviour. | Being forced, manipulated, coerced or threatened into doing something sexual. |
No one has the right to make you do anything you don’t want to do, even if you have known them for a long time or have had sexual experiences with them before.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, help and support is available.
Who can experience sexual violence?
Women and girls make up the majority of people who experience sexual violence, however it can happen to anyone.
Some groups are at higher risk of experiencing sexual violence, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, LGBTIQA+ people, people with disability, sex workers, and people in the prison or youth detention systems.
Who uses sexual violence?
There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ person who uses sexual violence, however for those who do, sexual violence is about a need to assert power and dominance over another person.
Most sexual assaults are committed by a person who knows the victim-survivor. They can include family members, current or former partners, relatives, friends and acquaintances, and the violence can often happen at home.
How the Queensland Government is responding to sexual violence
The Queensland Government is committed to addressing all forms of sexual violence, harassment and abuse and ending these forms of violence in our communities.
The government has made strong progress in addressing sexual violence, along with intersecting forms of violence such as domestic and family violence. This includes the release of Prevent. Support. Believe. Queensland’s Framework to address Sexual Violence through three priority areas: prevention; support and healing; and accountability and justice.
Large scale reform is being delivered in response to the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce Hear Her Voice Report Two recommendations to improve Queensland’s criminal justice system for women and girls who are victim-survivors of sexual violence, or who are accused persons or offenders.