Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is common in abusive relationships: The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that between one-third and one-half of all battered women are raped by their partners at least once during their relationship. Any situation in which force is used to obtain participation in unwanted, unsafe, or degrading sexual activity constitutes sexual abuse. Forced sex, even by a spouse or intimate partner with whom consensual sex has occurred, is an act of aggression and violence. Furthermore, women whose partners abuse them physically and sexually are at a higher risk of being seriously injured or killed.” 1 In the state of Kansas, it is illegal for one spouse to force another spouse into any type of sexual activity. If this occurs, your local law enforcement agency should be notified immediately. There are a number of statutes that could possibly apply depending on the situation at hand including:
- Rape;
- Sexual battery;
- Sodomy; etc.
- Victims will then be transported to an area hospital where they will be examined and treated by specially trained hospital staff both for health purposes and evidentiary purposes. Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Deputies can assist the victim with finding somewhere safe to go, whether this is a friend or family member’s house or a domestic violence shelter. Sexual assault victims in Sedgwick County can obtain assistance and access resources at the Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center in Wichita, KS. They also offer a 24 hour crisis hotline at (316) 263-3002 or 1-877-WASAC-4U.