Research glossary

Rape is sexual penetration without consent. Consent must be freely given and can be withdrawn at any time.
Rape can occur even if the survivor did not fight back, knew the perpetrator, was intoxicated, froze during the assault, or cannot remember everything that happened. If someone did not freely consent, it is rape.

Under South Africa’s Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007, rape is defined as any act of sexual penetration without consent. The Act also recognises marital rape and compelled rape as crimes. In South Africa, rape is a serious criminal offence and can carry a life sentence, depending on the circumstances.

For more information on medical care, reporting, and support after rape, visit our Survivor Guides for more information and resources.

Rape culture refers to social attitudes and behaviours that normalise, excuse, or minimise sexual violence.
It appears through victim-blaming, not believing survivors, excusing perpetrators, making rape jokes, or asking what the survivor “did wrong.”

Rape culture makes it harder for survivors to report and get justice

Many prevailing societal attitudes justify, tolerate, normalize and minimize sexual violence against women and girls. While often subtle, these persistent attitudes are integrated with and rooted in rape myths, stereotypes, and oppressive beliefs. This phenomenon is popularly referred to as ‘rape culture'.

Rape culture impacts various groups of women differently. For instance, while influencing all of us, rape culture sets up some groups as more likely to be targeted for sexual violence and to be disbelieved or blamed for the violation they experience (e.g., women of colour, impoverished women, women living with disabilities, trans-identified women and other women)

an incident reported to the police that is defi ned by the police in terms of the Sexual Offences Act as a
rape matter. This includes sections 15/16 of the Sexual Offences Act, i.e. ‘consensual’ sexual penetration of a minor or
person unable to give consent.

Rape is an act of power and control, in which the victim is humiliated, degraded, and left with feelings of shame, guilt, and anger. The Criminal Code of Canada does not specifically define ‘rape’ in terms of specific acts. The crime of sexual assault is codified within the general assault provision , which makes it a crime to intentionally apply force to another person without their consent.”

Date rape or acquaintance rape refers to a “sexual assault that happens between acquaintances or ‘friends’ or between people who are dating. Some studies tracing the changing usages of this term have noted that date rape may also “refer specifically to the sexual assault of a woman after a drug had been slipped into her drink.

- A form of sexual assault, involving illegal sexual intercourse with a person against that person’s will/consent.
Typically involves sexual penetration without consent including sexual penetration obtained by force, threat or
incapacitation, or sexual penetration of someone who is unable to give consent, such as a younger child or
incompetent person (National Center on Sexual Behavior of Youth, 2003). However, the most commonly used
definition of rape is the imposition of sexual assault on someone against his will, through the use of violence,
force, threat to harm or other forms of coercion, or in the case of the victim's incapacity to refuse if under the
influence of alcohol or drugs. When an effort is placed to rape someone without penetration, this is called an
attempted rape. Rape is a judicial definition that differs according to the laws in different countries.

an incident reported to the police that is defi ned by the police in terms of the Sexual Offences Act as a rape
(including attempted rape). This includes sections 15 and 16 of the Sexual Offences Act i.e. ‘consensual’ sexual
penetration of a minor or person unable to give consent.

According to the Criminal Law (Sexual Offenses and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2007[2], rape is the unlawful and intentional sexual penetration of a person by another without consent. The Act defines 'sexual penetration' as including the oral, anal or vaginal penetration of a person (male or female, regardless of age) with a genital organ; anal or vaginal penetration with any object or any part of the body of an animal, or the penetration of a person's mouth with the genital organs of an animal.

Rape is an act of non-consensual sexual intercourse. This can include the invasion of any part of the body with a sexual organ and/or the invasion of the genital or anal opening with any object or body part. Rape and attempted rape involve the use of force, threat of force and/or coercion. Efforts to rape someone that do not result in penetration are considered attempted rape.

Relational or social aggression is defined as intentionally harming another person’s social relationships. Relational aggression is typically covert and indirect. Examples can include shunning, excluding, ignoring, gossiping, rumour spreading, or disclosing another person’s secret. Relational aggression is different from other forms of bullying in that most bullying occurs outside the peer group while relational aggression occurs within the peer group. However, it is similar because it can be repeated, aggressive, harassing, and severe.

Repeat victimization refers to the repeated criminal victimization of a person, household, place, business, vehicle or other target however defined. Near repeat victimization or near repeats refer to targets with similar characteristics or situations (also virtual repeats). Repeats can be the same or different crime types. It is generally accepted that a small proportion of any population of potential targets experience a vastly disproportionate amount of the crime because they are repeatedly victimized… The significance for many policy purposes, but particularly crime prevention, is that a focus upon repeats can greatly increase the efficiency with which resources are used. Most repeat victimization research relates to how it can be prevented, so crime prevention is the backdrop for much of this bibliography.

A person who has authority or power denies you something important, punishes or threatens you for refusing a sexual request, or for [disclosing] inappropriate sexual behaviour or comments.

Restricting or denying a woman’s ability to make her own decisions about her body is an attempt to maintain power and control over a woman. Behaviour that has the intention of controlling a woman’s reproductive health decision-making is known as reproductive coercion. Reproductive coercion includes pregnancy coercion, birth control/contraception sabotage, forced sterilization and control of pregnancy options

Behaviour that has the intention of controlling someone’s reproductive health decision-making such as restricting or denying their ability to make decisions about their own body in an attempt to maintain power and control. Reproductive coercion includes pregnancy coercion, birth control / contraception sabotage, forced sterilization and control of pregnancy options.

The process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors. Resilience is multidimensional and is associated with individual, relationship, community, cultural and environmental factors.

A restraining order is family court order to help protect your health and safety. You can apply for a restraining order at family court if you are concerned about your or your children’s safety and you were married or lived together for any period of time, or have a child with the person. It can limit what someone can do, where someone can go, and who someone can contact. A restraining order includes a list of conditions that can either be general or specific

Retraumatization “occurs when someone re-experiences or re-lives a previous traumatic event.” [1] This can occur “when methods used to discuss, debate and analyze the original trauma cause triggering symptoms related to the incident itself, or reliving moments from the original trauma.” [2] Symptoms can include “flashbacks, nightmares, sleeping issues, anxiety, withdrawal from school/social settings, intense emotions, and more”. [1]

“When retraumatization happens, the system has failed the individual who has experienced trauma, and this can leave them feeling misunderstood, unsupported and even blamed. It can also perpetuate a damaging cycle that prevents healing and growth”

Revenge porn is the sharing or distribution of intimate images or videos of someone without their consent, often to shame, control, blackmail, or punish them, especially after a breakup.

It does not matter if the images were originally shared consensually within a private relationship. Once they are shared, forwarded, posted, or threatened with sharing without permission, it becomes abuse. Revenge porn is a form of gender-based violence and digital abuse. This abuse can cause serious emotional harm, including anxiety, depression, fear, reputational damage, and social isolation. Survivors may feel unsafe at school, work, or in their communities, especially when images spread quickly through social media or messaging apps.

In South Africa, revenge porn is illegal under the Films and Publications Amendment Act (2019). A person who knowingly distributes private sexual images without consent can face a fine or imprisonment. Even threatening to share intimate images may be considered a criminal offence.

Risk factor is an event or situation that increases the possibility of a negative outcome for an individual.