Sexual Assault History

When one first thinks of a pressing American public health issue, they perhaps may think of the spread of an infectious disease, or perhaps the issue of water contamination in regards to lead, or maybe even the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. However, the mention of a critical public health issue in America rarely incites a discussion on the rise of sexual assault. Sexual assault is a broad term, often used interchangeably with the term rape- however, while rape is an aspect of sexual assault, the two terms are not synonymous. Sexual assault is defined as “any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient” (U.S. Department of Justice). Sexual assault includes rape, incest, child sexual

While sexual assault itself has spanned a course of centuries, the discussion of sexual assault reached its peak in the United States in the late 1960s and 1970s as a product of the rise of the movement of feminism, leading to the rise of the first rape crisis centers. Soon after, a book titled Against Our Will by Susan Brownmiller was released, examining the contexts in which sexual assault exists. The publication of this book began a societal movement in the discussion of rape, and became a monumental part of the history of sexual assault in the United States. As a response to this rise of discussion on sexual assault, as attributed to the feminist movement, laws began to develop in order to properly address sexual assault. Prior to the 1970s, sexual assault laws were primitive and did not take the following into consideration: rape within a marriage; rapes in relation to non vaginal intercourse; sexual assault in which the victim did not consent but did not physically resist; sexual assault against men. However, laws taking all of these aspects into consideration began to develop in order to accommodate society’s concerns in relation to sexual assault. In addition, rape shield laws, laws that prevent a victim’s prior sexual history from entering court, were also developed in order to prevent trials from focusing on the victim. Today, the handling of sexual assault within our justice system has made

The victim may experience psychological complications, including PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. Physically, the victim may contract an STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection), may have concerns about a pregnancy, or may have incurred injuries as a result of the sexual assault. (National Sexual Violence Resource Center) Emotionally, the victim may blame themselves, insinuating that they are to blame for the sexual assault in some way, and may feel isolated as a result of their sexual