“Without consent, it is sexual assault”

What is Consent?

• Giving permission willingly through words or actions for sexual activity to happen
• It is the responsibility of the person wanting the sexual activity to get consent
• Consent is a clear, active “yes”, given through words or body language
• “No’s”, mixed messages, or silence must not be taken as consent

A person cannot give consent if she/he is:

• Under the age of 16
• Drunk or high on drugs
• Lied to about what the other person wants to do
• Pressured, threatened or coerced into saying “yes”
• In a power or trust based relationship (teacher, parent, religious leader, doctor, etc.)

What is Coercion?

“to persuade (an unwilling person) to do something by using force or threats”
(Oxford English Dictionary, Tenth Edition, Revised)

Coercion can mean…

• Emotional pressure any actions that manipulate a person to gain control (i.e. isolating, causing guilt, putting down, threatening, etc.)
• Physical pressure – any unwanted physical or sexual behaviour (i.e. hitting, kicking, restraining, kissing, etc.)
• Verbal pressure – any spoken threat (i.e. yelling, name calling, lying, blackmailing, badgering, etc.)

Emotional pressure is used much more frequently than physical and verbal pressure and is
the most subtle of all.

What Is The Law?

Canadian law states that sexual activity between two people must be consensual. The person wanting or initiating the sexual activity must make sure that the other person has given consent before starting and continuing the activity.

THIS IS A CRIMINAL CODE OFFENCE

What If It Happens To You?

• Go to a safe place
• Tell someone that you trust

Consider:

• calling police
• going to closest Emergency Room
• speaking with the on-call nurse from the Regional Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Centre St. Joseph’s Hospital

(it is best to not shower or bathe until you have talked about your options as you may wish to have forensic evidence collected)

• call the Program directly to schedule a convenient appointment www.sjhc.london.on.ca/sadv
• calling the Sexual Assault Centre London 24 hour crisis line for information, counselling and support www.sacl.ca
• calling your local Public Health Unit for testing and treatment options www.health@mlhu.on.ca, www.county.oxford.ca, www.elginhealth.on.ca
• calling your family doctor
• counselling

Sexual Assault and Drug Misuse

Any substance may be misused for the purpose of sexual assault.

• Alcohol is the #1 drug used in sexual assault
• Over the counter drugs (i.e. gravol, antihistamines)
• Illegal drugs (i.e. ecstasy, GHB, Ketamine)
• Combinations of different medications/substances can be very dangerous

What Can I Do To Help Protect Myself?

• Avoid or limit the amount of alcohol
• Get/open your own drink
• Don’t leave your drink unattended
• Watch out for each other/buddy system
• Agree to go out together and come home together
• Tell someone where you are going, who you are with and when you will be home
• Know the signs and symptoms that you or your friend may be drugged (i.e. dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, “not feeling right”)

Call 911 or seek medical help by going to your closest Emergency Room
if you suspect that you were drugged