Sexual assaults and personal security

The prevention of a sexual assault can be similar to that of other attacks, especially those associated with common crime. Sexual assaults can take the form of repression of defenders’ work, and victims can either be pre-selected or opportunistic targets.

Everyone - male and female - is a potential victim of sexual assault, but women are more frequent targets. Sexual assault is a crime of power and violence, and sexual contact is just another way for the attacker to demonstrate his or her power over the victim.

Remember that in many cases women taken to a different location with a potential attacker are raped (and beaten or even killed): Thus women should always make a strong and definite decision not to go with a potential attacker to another location (probably unless such a refusal would severely endanger her life or the life of others)

Reacting to a sexual assault:

The options for response to a sexual assault are limited and strictly up to the victim. There is no right or wrong way to react. In all cases, the primary objective is to survive. The options available to the victim of a sexual assault can include doing the following:

1. Submit. If the victim fears for his or her life, they may choose to submit to the crime.

2. Passive resistance. Do or say anything distasteful or disgusting to ruin the attacker’s desire for sexual contact. Tell him you have AIDS, diarrhea, make yourself vomit, etc.

3. Active resistance. Try any type of physical force you can muster to fight off the attacker, such as striking, kicking, biting, scratching, shouting and running away.

In all cases, do whatever you must to survive. Go with your instincts. No one knows how they will react in such a situation and your way to react will be right for you and the given situation.

After a sexual assault:

All human rights defender organisations and groups should have preventive and reactive plans in place to deal with sexual assaults. The reactive plan should include, at the very least, providing the victim with effective healthcare, including psychological care, (check immediately and regularly for sexually-transmitted diseases, day-after pill, etc) and legal care.

A careful balance must be struck between ensuring the victim has access to the relevant specialist support and ensuring the organization reacts in an appropriately supportive way.

Most of this information has been adapted from Van Brabant’s book Operational Security in Violent Environments and from World Vision’s and the World Council of Churches’ Security Manuals.

Please also see Preventing and reacting to attacks in Chapter 5.