Sexual Violence Awareness

Intimate Partner Violence

IPV occurs when one partner is controlling the behaviors of another partner in the relationship. This controlling behavior can be physical, emotional, and verbal. The abusive behavior can include threats, isolation (preventing the partner from seeing friends or family members), intimidation and harassment. In some situations, the same patterns are referred to as domestic violence.

"That can't happen to me," you say? Think again. Here are a few disturbing statistics:

• 1 in 3 teens in a dating relationship has been verbally, emotionally, sexually or physically abused and/or says they "fear for their safety."
• 1 in 2 teens feels he or she has "compromised their values" in order to please their partner.
• 1 in 5 teens in a dating relationship have been hit, slapped or pushed.
• Teens who report dating violence are also more likely to report binge drinking, physical fighting, suicide attempts and current sexual activity.

Teen relationships where IPV is a factor can lead to domestic violence, which also affects many Idaho families. In 2007, there were 6,360 incidents of domestic violence reported to the Idaho State Police, and Idaho had 22 deaths related to domestic violence.

To learn more about Intimate Partner Violence and how you can avoid it, take a look at these Websites:

• The Idaho Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Project
• Choose Respect, an initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Rape and Sexual Assault

In Idaho, rape is defined by law as the penetration of the male penis in the vaginal, oral or anal opening without the other person’s permission. Sexual assault is the unwanted touching of sexual body parts. Both sexual assault and rape can happen to anyone, no matter what their race, gender, age, income and sexual orientation. AND BOTH ARE AGAINST THE LAW.

Statutory rape is defined in Idaho as the penetration of the male penis in the vaginal, oral or anal opening of a female under the age of 18, by a man who is 18 years or older. Statutory rape is ILLEGAL, even if the female consents to the sexual activity.

The majority (almost 74 percent) of teen pregnancies in Idaho were fathered by men 18 years of age or older.

Anyone who has been raped can contact the Rape Crisis Hotline of the Women’s and Children’s Alliance Crisis Center, at (208) 345-7273 and talk to a counselor.

To learn more about what to do in case you or someone you know has been raped or assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). The Girls and Boys Town organization also has a 24-hour crisis, referral and resource line, at 1-800-448-3000.