Sexual Assault vs. Rape

Sexual assault refers to any form of unwanted sexual contact or behavior that happens without consent. It can happen through physical force or threats, for example. A perpetrator can also use coercion or give the victim drugs or alcohol to impair the victim's judgment.

Types of sexual assault include:

• Attempted rape

• Rape

• Fondling or unwanted sexual touching

• Forcing a victim to perform sexual acts, such as oral sex

Rape is the legal term referring to penetration in any part of the body with any body part or object where a person does not give consent.

Therefore, rape is a form of sexual assault, not all forms of sexual assault are rape.

Different states may have slightly different wording in their legal definitions, so here is RAINN's State Law Database in case you'd like to read about the laws by state more thoroughly.

Sources:

https://www.nsvrc.org/about-sexual-assault

https://www.rainn.org/articles/sexual-assault