• To contact an SOS Victim Advocate, call the UD Helpline 24/7/365 at 302-831-1001 and press 1. The clinician will check to make sure you are safe, then take a first name & phone number and have an Advocate call you back within 10 minutes.

Sexual Assault & Rape

Sexual Assault & Rape

As defined in UD Policy, “sexual assault means physical sexual acts committed when consent is not received, a person is physically forced, intimidated or coerced into a sexual act, or when a person is physically or mentally unable to give consent.”  To read the full policy, see:  http://sites.udel.edu/sexualmisconduct/policies/.

Sexual assault is a term that refers to any unwanted sexual touching.  It can include everything from kissing, rubbing up against a person, or grabbing the breast or buttocks, to unwanted oral sex or unwanted penetration of the vagina or anus.  Rape specifically refers to the 3 different types of unwanted penetration (oral, vaginal, anal) and can be with a body part (such as fingers, tongue, penis) or with an object.  Sexual assault is a crime in which sex is the tool used in order to have power & control over the victim.

Survivors of all forms of sexual assault can experience a wide range of feelings and reactions, including confusion, denial, anger, shock, numbness, fear, self-blame, embarrassment, sadness, and helplessness. It is common for survivors to have:

  • feelings of guilt and responsibility;
  • concerns about their ability to make good judgments about people;
  • difficulty trusting themselves and others;
  • feelings of being violated, conned, cheated, and/or manipulated;
  • difficulty accepting what happened as rape or abuse.

Sexual Assault is an act of violence, even when it doesn’t include physical assault.  When the brain stem interprets what is happening as potentially life threatening, which is common with sexual assault, it sends signals to the body’s adrenal glands to release a potential combination of natural chemicals in the body to assist in coping with the immediate situation.  Every person is different and no 2 survivors react to trauma exactly the same.  But the chemicals released do impact each person in a variety of ways.  It is common for survivors of sexual assault or rape to experience Post Traumatic Stress, formerly called “Rape Trauma Syndrome” which can turn into PTSD if left unchecked.  Seeking supportive crisis care or after-care counseling can assist in coping with these intense initial feelings and in learning more about the body’s response to trauma.

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse and incest often begin to remember their experience or deal with the emotions associated with their childhood experiences for the first time while in college. This can be a scary and difficult time and can create a great deal of turmoil in the survivors’ life, even though the assault(s) happened years before.

In all of these situations, talking with an Advocate can be helpful.  We hope that you will use our 24 Hour service, or make an appointment at Student Wellness to talk with a professional Advocate/counselor.

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