Sexual violence is any sexual act, completed or threatened, where consent is not obtained or freely given. Sexual violence includes completed or attempted sexual acts, such as rape or unwanted touching. It can also include acts that do not have physical contact between the victim and the perpetrator, such as verbal sexual harassment, threats, and intimidation.

Thousands of women and men experience sexual violence, but the true number of victims is unknown since many survivors do not take steps to report it.

Preventing sexual violence is possible. Download a fact sheet to learn more about sexual violence.