My Sex

Sexual or Relationship Violence

One in four college-age women will be the survivor of a completed or attempted sexual assault. Ten percent of sexual assault survivors are men. Thirteen percent of college women will be stalked in one school year. Nearly one-third of American women have been abused by a significant other at some point in their lives.

Sexual violence is a serious problem on today's college campus. It is sometimes hard to define if you are a survivor of sexual or dating violence, and few people know what resources are available to them if they do experience these types of violence.

Sexual violence can include rape/sexual assault, stalking, and domestic violence. In the state of Kansas, rape and other types of sexual assault are sexual acts that occur without your consent, whether you are physically coerced, mentally unable to consent (from drinking or drugs), or unconscious. Rape is never the fault of the victim/survivor.

Stalking is repeated threatening or harassing behavior by someone, including, but not limited to, phone calls, emails, vandalism, and consistently showing up in places the victim may be seen. If you think someone may be stalking you, seek help as soon as possible. Stalking tends to be a very dangerous behavior and may result in serious emotional damage to the victim and could involve physical injury.

Dating or domestic violence is behavior used by one person in a relationship to control or dominate the other person. This behavior may include, but is not limited to, physical beatings, sexual assault, financial control, and emotional abuse. If you think you might be a victim of dating violence or have been in the past, try taking this self-assessment by asking yourself the following questions:

1. Are you frightened of your boyfriend/girlfriend’s temper?
2. Are you afraid to disagree with him/her?
3. Do you find yourself apologizing to yourself or others for your boyfriend/girlfriend’s behavior when you are treated badly?
4. Have you been frightened by his or her violence towards others?
5. Have you been hit, kicked, shoved, or had things thrown at you?
6. Do you not see friends or family because of his/her jealousy?
7. Have you been forced to have sex?
8. Have you been afraid to say no to sex?
9. Are you forced to justify everything you do, every place you go and every person you see to avoid his/her temper?
10. Have you been wrongly and repeatedly accused of flirting or having sex with others?
11. Are you unable to go out, get a job, or go to school without his/her permission?
12. Have you become secretive, ashamed, or hostile to your parents because of this relationship?

To find out more about any of these types of sexual violence and to find local and national resources, check out the links below.

Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (http://www.rainn.org)
Resources for survivors of sexual assault, abuse and incest, as well as family and friends of survivors. A free and secure online hotline for survivors to receive support is also available.

Sexual Violence Education & Support Services (http://www.etwrc.ku.edu)
A program of the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center that provides education to the campus community about sexual assault, stalking and domestic violence. Also provides support to survivors of sexual violence. Call 785-864-3600 for more information.

GaDuGi SafeCenter (http://www.gadugisafecenter.org)
Local rape crisis center that provides 24-hour advocates for sexual assault survivors and victims of stalking through Rape Victim/Survivor Services Program. Call 785-841-2345. Headquarters provide a 24-hour crisis line. Ask for an RVSS advocate.

Women's Transitional Care Services, Inc. (http://www.wtcskansas.org)
Local domestic violence shelter that provides 24-hour hotline, advocates, and confidential shelter for female victims of relationship and domestic violence. Call 785-843-3333 (24-hour crisis line) or 1-800-770-3030 (24-hour crisis line).

Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (http://www.kcsdv.org)
Educational information about sexual assault, stalking and domestic violence. Also check out information for advocates and support centers.

Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (http://www.mocsa.org)
Local sexual assault center that provides general education to the community as well as support services to survivors of sexual assault. Call 913-642-0233 (24-hour crisis line in Kansas) or 816-531-0233 (24-hour crisis line in Missouri).

SAFEHOME (http://www.safehome-ks.org)
Local Kansas City agency that provides a 24-hour crisis line and support information for survivors of domestic violence and the community. Call 913-262-2868.