It is estimated that, in Spain, a woman is raped every eight hours And that’s just in one country. In another area, between ten and twenty percent of the population has suffered some type of sexual abuse in childhood.
These data reflect that rape and sexual abuse are crimes that are not as uncommon as most people seem to think. But these acts do not always occur in the same way: those who carry out these acts, the type of relationship they maintain with the victim and the elements used in forcing the action diverge greatly, so that it can be considered that there are very various types of rape and sexual violence.
Sexual violence is considered any situation in which an individual is forced to have sexual relations with another against their will, using force, threats, physical or psychological harm to the victim, blackmail or coercion.
One of the most well-known forms of sexual violence is rape, in which the sexual act is carried out in a forced manner. Also included within this category is any type of sexual relationship in which one of the subjects is not able to give or deny consent due to alterations in consciousness, lack thereof, or inability to understand or take responsibility for one’s own acts.
Psychological and legal effects
These types of acts are a serious crime heavily punished by law that can cause serious alterations to those who suffer them, both in the short and long term. These alterations are both physical, psychological and emotional, producing a very significant interference in the victim’s normative activity. The appearance of re-experiencing what happened, feelings of foreshortening the future, a high level of anxiety and dissociative episodes are common. One of the most common disorders suffered by those who are sexually assaulted is post-traumatic stress disorder.
Many of the people who suffer these crimes are not able to report them due to a host of circumstances such as self-blame, fear of retaliation, fear of not being believed or the absence of social support. In fact, It is estimated that around 80% of cases are not reported although in recent times there has been an increase in the number of complaints filed.
Although the fundamental concept of the act will be the same in all cases, the characteristics of each type of sexual assault can be very different.
It is because of that it is possible to establish the existence of different types of rape or sexual assault Some of them are mentioned below.
1. Rape by a spouse or partner
On many occasions, rapes or sexual assaults are committed by subjects with whom the victim has a relationship. In these cases, the rapist usually believes that he has a certain right to sexually dispose of his partner, ignoring her opinion and consent in this regard.
Threats, belittling, manipulation, coercion or brute force are used to carry out the sexual act This is a type of physical and psychological abuse sometimes carried out as a mechanism for the manifestation of power or even as an attempt by an abuser to reconcile by force.
2. Sexual assault on individuals with altered consciousness
Some of the violations that take place are linked to states in which the sexually assaulted subject is not in a position to give or not give consent for not having a sufficient level of consciousness. This type of violation can occur while the victim is sleeping or recovering from an illness or intoxication in which he or she is not able to perceive the situation correctly.
Within this category we can find sexual assault carried out through the use of substances. This type of sexual assault refers to the use of substances (including alcohol and other drugs) with psychoactive effects in order to alter the level of consciousness of the victim and consummate the act taking advantage of said alteration.
3. Child sexual assault
Pedophilia is a crime in which a minor is used as a sexual object by an adult, taking advantage of the difference in age, knowledge, maturity and/or power.
It is generally carried out by people belonging to the immediate environment, so sexual assault occurs in a context of abuse of trust. Although physical force is sometimes used, the majority takes advantage of the existing bond between victim and attacker or between attacker and those close to the victim, using manipulation and coercion. In the case of child sexual assault, the minor is not sufficiently aware of what a sexual relationship entails to be able to give or deny consent to it.
Rape is the practice of sexual activities between an adult and a minor in which the latter gives consent to the consummation of the act due to the seduction and manipulation carried out by the adult. The basic difference with child sexual assault is that while in this case the minor is not aware of what having sexual relations entails, in statutory rape he is.
5. Incestuous sexual assault
Generally linked to the practice of pedophilia or child sexual assault, This type of abuse is carried out by the most significant people of the sexual assault victim, taking advantage of said relationship to manipulate the individual and force their consent. Sometimes it is carried out by force, with the knowledge that reporting is unlikely due to the importance of the aggressor to the victim.
6. Attack on people with disabilities
In many cases, people with disabilities can be victims of sexual harassment and assault Because of her disability, an attacker may find it easier to force a sexual relationship. One of the most frequent cases of this type of sexual assault occurs towards people with intellectual disabilities.
Even if they can consent to the sexual act, if the aggressor takes advantage of a difference in intellectual abilities and the lack of understanding of the act to coerce the individual and manipulate him, he would be carrying out an abuse that can be classified as rape.
7. Sexual assault on the elderly
Elderly people are also frequent victims of sexual abuse Due to a lower physical capacity than in youth, the elderly are a population to which some rapists may have easy access and may be more dominated on a physical level.
Furthermore, in many cases abusers can take advantage of the state of cognitive deterioration typical of individuals with advanced dementia, resulting in an abuse of power.
8. Instrumental sexual assault
This type of violation refers to one whose objective is not specifically to obtain gratification, whether sexual or derived from the need for power, but is carried out with a specific objective. Examples of this are obtaining an economic benefit or causing damage to third parties linked to the victim.
9. Sexual assault as a hate crime
Sometimes rape is used as a method of attack or humiliation towards a person belonging to a specific group This type of sexual assault incorporates a component of hatred or contempt towards said group. Examples of this can be found in sexual violence against women, against people from the LGBT community or against individuals belonging to ethnic minorities.
In sexual harassment, the aggressor proceeds to manifest a series of behaviors and attitudes that cause feelings of fear, insecurity or anguish in the victim Although it does not have to involve the presence of real sexual contact (that is, it may or may not include the presence of rape), the behaviors expressed affect the normal development of the victim’s activity.
The type of conduct carried out includes the request for sexual relations, unwanted approaches and/or touching, persistent lewd contacts, promises or performance of favors in exchange or with the intention of forcing relations or use of direct or indirect coercion. It usually occurs in academic or work environments.
11. Rape by strangers
This type of rape is one of the best known by the majority of the population, although it is one of the least common In it, a person without a prior relationship with the victim uses force, threats, coercion or other means to force her to have sexual relations.
The aggressor may have met the victim for a different purpose, just met her, or even assaulted her directly. Rape can be carried out on the street, a public place, a vehicle or even in the victim’s home if the victim is attacked in her home (with or without home invasion). In some of these cases psychoactive substances are used.
12. Gang rape
Situation in which a group of individuals decides to force one or more people to have sexual relations taking advantage of the strength and number of individuals to intimidate or even physically force them to commit the sexual act.
13. Rape during wars
A high number of rapes occur during wars and armed conflicts Aside from sexual abuse committed as a method of obtaining sexual gratification or dominance by the abuser, in many cases rapes are encouraged in order to reduce the morale of the local population, in a way that facilitates conflict and undermines the resistance on the part of the attacked side.
14. Sexual exploitation
Another type of sexual violence is that which is carried out by making the victim maintain forced relations with another person or persons, the exploiter obtaining benefits from said relationship and being the one who forces or incites the victim to maintain relationships. Forced prostitution is one of these types of violence.
