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General Definitions

Online Harassment is regular, planned, and unwanted online communication that disturbs the recipient. It does not have to be threatening, or from an acquaintance. The communications are often filled with disturbing and inappropriate content and do not stop even after a request for no further contact. Examples include: unwanted e-mail; unwanted talk requests; disturbing messages on bulletin boards or in chat rooms.

Rape is unwanted, forced sexual intercourse (involving a penis and a vagina) with another individual. Examples of force typically used are threats, actual physical force, threat of physical force, and/or a weapon. It is also rape if the perpetrator uses the victim’s mental incapacity or physical helplessness to facilitate the rape. Mental incapacity and/or physical helplessness includes, but is not limited to, sleep, drugs and/or incapacity by alcohol.

Relationship Violence (See dating or domestic violence)

Sexual Assault is the general term used to explain any act of sexual aggression and/or violence where a person is forced, threatened, or intimidated into engaging in sexual activity without giving her/his permission, or when the act is committed due to the person’s mental incapacity or physical helplessness. Examples include rape, forced sodomy, sexual battery, and/or indecent exposure.

Sexual Battery is unwanted sexual touching. This includes, but is not limited to an unwilling person’s intimate parts such as genitalia, anus, groin, breast, or buttocks or the clothing covering these parts, or forcing an unwilling person to touch another’s intimate parts.

Stalking is one person’s harassing, obsessive or threatening behavior towards another person. Basically, any repetitive, unwanted contact between a stalker and a victim or any behavior that threatens or places fear in that person is stalking. Examples are willful and repeated following another person without that person’s permission, appearing at their home or work place, or classroom, or unwanted contact by phone, e-mail, or letters.

Survivor is a term used to describe a person who has been assaulted. Instead of limiting a person's experience to victimization, this emphasizes the active recovery process after an assault. Someone who has made it through a natural disaster is considered to have survived it. In the same way, an individual who has lived though an assault -- though her/his period of injury, suffering, and recovery might be extensive – can be considered a survivor.

Victim is the term for an individual who has a crime committed against them. Criminal justice officials often use this term to describe the person who is the complainant in criminal cases. Victim is also known as “survivor”.

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