Sexual Assault

In the Criminal Code, three types of sexual assault are outlined based on the degree of force used. The following is a simplified description of each (taken from Part VIII, Criminal Code of Canada):¹

• Section 271: Sexual Assault: an assault of a sexual nature that violates the sexual integrity of the victim. Sexual assault occurs if a person has been kissed, sexually touched, or forced to have intercourse without their consent. The sexual assault results in minor physical injuries or no injuries to the victim.
• Section 272: Sexual assault with a weapon, threats, or causing bodily harm.
• Section 273: Aggravated sexual assault: Sexual assault that results in wounding, maiming, disfiguring or endangering the life of the victim.

Sexual activity without consent is sexual assault. Consent is voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity. 

In 2020, AASAS released the findings of our Prevalence of Sexual Assault and Childhood Sexual Abuse in Alberta survey. 

• In Alberta, 41% of women and 17% of men have experienced sexual assault.
• In Canada, in 87% of police-reported sexual assaults, the individual who was sexually assaulted knew the person who harmed them.² 
  • 26% as a casual acquaintance or friend, 24% as a non-spousal family member, and 19% as an intimate partner.
  • Only a small proportion (13%) were sexually assaulted by strangers.

Fact Sheet: Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls

Fact Sheet: Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys

Fact Sheet: Debunking Popular Misconceptions about Sexual Violence

Fact Sheet: Debunking Popular Misconceptions about Men and Sexual Violence

Those who experience sexual coercion may know that what happened wasn’t right, however, they may be hesitant to call it sexual assault. Coercion often leaves people who have experienced sexual assault feeling like they consented and therefore, are somehow responsible for what happened.

When someone’s sense of safety is compromised, fear may trigger the body’s flight, fight, freeze response. This is a neurobiological response to trauma which people do not have control over. A fight response is rare. During a situation of extreme threat, the brain gets flooded with stress hormones which can impair a person’s ability to think clearly and rationally. A freeze response is much more likely.³

Even if someone is highly skilled in self-defence, when experiencing a traumatic event like sexual violence they may not have access to the part of their brain that is responsible for logic, problem solving, planning, conscious thought, and language – the neo-cortex. 

Freezing can feel confusing. It can leave people feeling like the abuse or assault was their fault. Those who experience sexual violence are never to blame. The person who chose to use sexual violence against them is fully responsible for their actions. 

Check out Her Brain Chose for Her for more information on the neurobiology of trauma.

There are many deeply engrained, widely held and popular misconceptions (or myths) about sexual violence. Debunking popular misconceptions about sexual violence is key to ensuring that individuals who have experienced sexual violence are believed, are treated with respect and dignity, and are able to receive the support and services they need.

Acknowledging and confronting the realities of sexual violence is also an essential step towards ending sexual violence.

If you or someone you know has recently experienced sexual assault it can be difficult to figure out what to do next. Visit Following Sexual Assault for more information. 

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, support is available through your local sexual assault centre or Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence.