Consent is an agreement between participants to engage in sexual activity. It’s about clear communication and it should take place every time sexual activity occurs. Consent can also be withdrawn at any point and should be acknowledged and respected.

Force Doesn’t Always Refer To Physical Pressure.

Perpetrators may use emotional bullying, psychological force, or manipulation to coerce a victim into non-consensual sex. Some perpetrators will use threats to force a victim to comply, such as threatening to hurt the victim or their family or other intimidation tactics.

Sexual Abuse Can Occur Anywhere, Even Online

Online sexual abuse can be any type of sexual harassment, exploitation, or abuse that takes place through screens. Forms of online sexual harassment or abuse include:

  • Sending someone unwelcome communication about sex or hateful comments based on sex, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation.
  • Sending partners, friends, acquaintances, or strangers unwanted requests for nude photos or videos or to livestream sexual acts.
  • Performing sexual acts on webcam without the consent of everyone involved or in inappropriate settings (like during an online class or online work meeting).
  • Sharing private images or videos without the consent of everyone involved (also known as revenge porn or nonconsensual pornography — which, as of February 2021, is illegal in 46 states plus Washington, D.C.).
  • Sharing porn in spaces where not everyone has consented to view it (for example, in inappropriate spaces like Zoom meetings, where this is also called Zoombombing).
  • Grooming children to enable their sexual abuse either online or offline.

These examples represent just a fraction of the ways that consent and boundaries can be violated online. Learn more from NSVRC.

Sexual Violence Among Teens

89.9% of youth who experience sexual violence know the perpetrator and 67% of teens who were in an abusive relationship never told anyone. If we are ever going to end sexual violence, we must stop it from happening in the first place.

Additional Information And Resources On Sexual Assault

To learn more about sexual violence and assault, including types of sexual violence, current national statistics, consent, warning signs, bystander intervention, online safety tips, and more visit the website of our national partners the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) and RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network).