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About sexual violence

‘Sexual violence’ means any sexual activity or act that happened without consent. It includes rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Find out more below.

Do you know what sexual consent is?

Consent happens when all people involved in any kind of sexual activity agree to take part by choice. They also need to have the freedom and capacity to make that choice.

If someone seems unsure, stays quiet, moves away or doesn’t respond, they are not agreeing to sexual activity.

Find out more
A woman holds up a piece of paper that says 'no is no!' in front of her face.

Myths vs facts

True or false?

False stories about rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse and other forms of sexual violence hold a lot of power in our society.

And that's dangerous because these stories do serious harm. They can cause victims and survivors to feel shame or to blame themselves for what happened, and make it difficult for them to talk about or get help.

Learn the truth about common rape myths
A black and white image of a woman standing opposite a camera. Her hand is held up in a stop sign, hiding her face.

'Rape culture' is a society where sexual violence and abuse is normalised and played down or laughed off...

And we believe it's part of the reason why sexual violence and abuse is so widespread against women and girls.

Find out more
A young woman walks down a street towards us looking nervous as a man stands with his back to us, watching her.

Find your nearest Rape Crisis centre

Our member Rape Crisis centres provide free, local support and services for victims and survivors of rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse and all other forms of sexual violence.

Want to talk?

Contact our 24/7 Support Line for free emotional support.

Find out more