Sexual violence knows no boundaries.
It does not discriminate based on sex, race, age, socio-economic status, or sexual orientation. Sexual violence can occur between strangers or more commonly between people who know each other.
YWCA Northeast Indiana is here to help with your emotional recovery.
What is Sexual Violence?
Sexual violence is an umbrella term that encompasses all different types of sexual abuse. It refers to any action that pressures or coerces someone to do something sexually they don’t want to do. It can also refer to behavior that impacts a person’s ability to control their sexual activity or the circumstances in which sexual activity occurs, including oral sex, rape, or restricting access to birth control and condoms.
Learn more about different types below:
• insist on unwanted kissing or touching
• perform unwanted rough or violent sexual activity
• rape or attempt to rape
• refuse to use condoms or restrict someone’s access to birth control
• keep someone from protecting themselves from sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
• have sexual contact with someone who is very drunk, drugged, unconscious, or otherwise unable to give a clear and informed “yes” or “no”
• threaten or pressure someone into unwanted sexual activity
Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual touch, this can include but is not limited to:
- Rape or attempted rape: Unwanted penetration of the oral, anal, or vaginal canal by another body part or object
- Fondling
- Sexual contact with someone who cannot give consent ie; under the influence or unconscious
- Sexual conduct with a child under the age of consent
Childhood sexual abuse can be complicated to understand, especially in terms of the law.
- The age of consent in Indiana is 16, meaning anyone age 16 or over has the right to make decisions for themselves regarding sexual activity.
- For the most part anyone under the age of 16 cannot give consent, with the exception of the “Romeo and Juliet” law. This law outlines that a 14 or 15 year old could make the choice to give consent if the other person is no more than 4 years older than them and they want to consent.
- Under the age of 14 absolutely no exception for consent can be made.
Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age.
Marital rape is real. It happens when one legal spouse penetrates the oral, anal, or vaginal canal with their spouse without expressed consent or when the person cannot express consent due to being under the influence or unconscious.
If you see yourself in any of these statements, you may benefit from our sexual violence services.
YWCA Northeast Indiana is here to help you gain freedom from abuse. Our services are free. Our services are confidential. Please reach out today. Call our crisis line 800.441.4073 or email advocatecoords@ywcanein.org for more information.
YWCA Northeast Indiana provides help and support to those who have been impacted by different forms of sexual violence. YWCA Northeast Indiana aids survivors to heal from the trauma of sexual violence through crisis intervention, counseling, and support group services. All of our services are free to anyone affected by sexual violence, including:
- Incest survivors
- Survivors of childhood sexual abuse and molestation
- Rape survivors
- Those currently experiencing sexual abuse, assault, or rape
- Those experiencing sexual harassment
Advocacy and Community-Based Services:
- Free and confidential support
- Connection to resources in the community
- Assistance in healing from past and current trauma
- Education on relationships, self-esteem, and other related topics
- Assistance in navigating the legal system (if desired)
- Support groups
- Mental health therapy services
- Safety planning
- Personalized advocacy
- Sexual violence education
- Support
- Help identifying options and resources
- Services for children
- Housing Information
- Life Skills Training (employment, education, budgeting, parenting, etc.)
- Developing Support Systems
- Self-Care, Self-Esteem, and Assertiveness Skills
Services can be provided in the county the client lives in and are free and confidential. Call 800.441.4073 or email advocatecoords@ywcanein.org for more information. All services are individualized and can always be adjusted to best fit your needs.
Support Groups
YWCA offers separate weekly support groups for adults and adolescents on Mondays from 6-7pm. Topics are geared towards helping process the trauma of sexual violence and move forward as a survivor. Download our Support Group Flyer or email advocatecoords@ywcanein.org for more information.
Therapy Services
YWCA Northeast Indiana provides help and support for survivors of sexual violence and domestic violence through crisis intervention, counseling, and support group services. All services are FREE to anyone affected by that violence.
*Support groups are offered based on client need and staff availability.
For more information about these services, contact us via email at therapyos@ywcanein.org
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Bonnie’s House
Our crisis shelter is available for individuals or families who need a safe place to stay because they are experiencing a crisis with sexual violence. Call 800.441.4073 if you are in need of shelter.
The Therapy Services program is partially supported by a grants from:
This project is supported by subgrant No. 00008 and subgrant No. 00007 awarded by the state administering office for the STOP Formula Grant Program and SASP Formula Grant Program. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this webpage are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the state or the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.