Research glossary

A sex worker is a person who provides consensual sexual services in exchange for money or goods.

In South Africa, sex work remains criminalised. Criminalisation increases vulnerability to violence and reduces access to justice and protection. Regardless of legal status, sex workers have the right to safety, dignity, healthcare, and protection from violence under the Constitution of South Africa.

Sex refers to the biological or anatomical characteristics that a person is born with and is usually determined on the basis of the appearance of external genitalia, namely a vagina to denote female and a penis and testes to denote male. Sex is also a synonym for sexual intercourse, which includes penile-vaginal sex, oral sex, and anal sex. Intersex is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person may be born with reproductive or sexual organs that do not fit the typical definition of male or female. For example, a person might be born appearing to be female on the outside but have mostly male reproductive organs on the inside, or they might be born with genitals that seem in between the usual male and female types. For example, a girl born with a noticeably large clitoris or lacking a vaginal opening, or a boy may be born with a noticeably small penis or with a scrotum that is divided so that it forms more like labia (vaginal lips). However, it is possible to change a sex by having a sex change operation.

- Fanatic bias in the adoption of negative presuppositions towards women as a group, and about the social roles
and personality traits that they are supposed to have. Manifestations in Arab societies include, for example,
disparaging the capacity of women mental and moral abilities, which we find in common proverbs. These
features of sexism tend to justify women's disadvantaged status and socio-economic position in the social
ladder, and in other aspects. They justify, in particular, discriminatory laws regulating family and public life
(Beydoun, 2008).

Sextortion occurs when someone threatens to share sexual images, videos, or private information unless their demands are met. These demands may include money, more sexual images, sexual acts, or silence.

Sextortion can happen in schools, workplaces, or online relationships. It often begins with grooming or manipulation and escalates into blackmail.

For example, someone met online may ask for intimate images and later threaten to send them to friends or family unless more images or money are sent.

Sextortion can cause severe emotional harm, fear, and isolation. It is a form of gender-based violence and may be a criminal offence in South Africa.

Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual contact or behaviour that happens without consent. It includes a wide range of acts, from unwanted touching and forced kissing to rape. Sexual assault can happen in relationships, at school, at work, at parties, or in public spaces.

Sexual assault does not always involve physical force. It can involve intimidation, coercion, manipulation, threats, or taking advantage of someone who is intoxicated or unable to consent. Sexual assault is often committed by someone known to the survivor, such as a partner, friend, colleague, classmate, or family member.

Sexual assault can include forcing someone to kiss you after they have clearly said no. It also includes sexually touching someone’s body without their permission, for example, at a party or social gathering. Pressuring someone into sexual activity when they are drunk, afraid, or unable to agree freely is also sexual assault.

Under South African law, sexual assault is a criminal offence under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act (2007).

a set of
specially made boxes for keeping all the forensic
evidence in a clean, uncontaminated package
that can be transported to the forensic laboratory
for analysis

Any unwanted touching of a sexual nature is sexual assault. This can range from touching of sexual parts of the body to vaginal or anal penetration. As with other assaults, if weapons are involved or there is serious physical injury, the charge can become either sexual assault with a weapon or aggravated sexual assault.” [1]

“[Sexual assault] is an act of power and control over the victim. Sexual assault is a crime of violence because the victim is subjected to the aggression of the assailant. It is not a crime of sex. The feelings associated with sexual assault are disgust, shame, humiliation and powerlessness. It not only violates someone physically but may also affect a person’s sense of safety and ability to control their own life

- Sexual act directed against a person forcibly and/or against that person’s will, or not forcibly when the victim is
incapable of giving consent because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapability (Snyder,
2000).
- In the case of sexual abuse the aggressor wants the relationship while the victim is entirely rejecting it

Sexual battery refers specifically to non-consensual touching of a person’s intimate parts, either over or under clothing. It is a form of sexual assault and focuses on physical sexual contact without permission.
Sexual battery may not involve penetration, but it is still a serious violation of someone’s bodily autonomy and dignity.

Examples:
• Groping someone’s breasts, buttocks, or genitals without consent.
• Touching someone sexually while they are asleep or unable to respond.
• Forcing someone’s hand onto another person’s body.
Sexual battery is a criminal offence in South Africa and can result in arrest and prosecution.

Sexual coercion is pressuring, manipulating, or threatening someone into sexual activity without their free and voluntary consent. Unlike physical force, coercion often uses emotional pressure, guilt, intimidation, fear, or abuse of authority to remove real choice.

Sexual coercion can make a person feel like they “owe” sex, are responsible for the other person’s emotions, or will face consequences if they refuse. This can happen in relationships, schools, workplaces, or any situation with a power imbalance.

Sexual exploitation occurs when someone takes advantage of another person’s vulnerability, dependence, or lack of power for sexual benefit. It often involves an imbalance of power, such as age, money, authority, immigration status, or emotional control.

Sexual exploitation can include trafficking, grooming, sextortion, or exchanging sex for basic needs such as money, food, housing, protection, or opportunities.

Children can never consent to exploitation under any circumstances. If a child is involved in sexual activity in exchange for anything of value, it is exploitation and abuse, even if the child appears to “agree.”
Sexual exploitation is a serious violation of human rights and dignity

The act of engaging in sexual intercourse or performing other sex acts in exchange for money or other
considerations (e.g., food, clothing shelter, affection, etc.) (Estes and Weiner, 2001). “Forced Prostitution” is an
expression used in the case of controlling and forcing a person to engage in a sexual activity (UNHCR, 1994).

Sexual harassment is any unwelcome sexual behaviour, verbal, non-verbal, or physical, that makes someone feel unsafe, intimidated, humiliated, or uncomfortable.

It can include sexual comments, unwanted touching, repeated requests for dates, sending explicit messages, sharing sexual jokes, or spreading rumours about someone’s sexual life.

Sexual harassment can happen at school, work, home, in public spaces, or online. In South Africa, sexual harassment is illegal in workplaces and educational institutions, and employers and schools have a duty to respond to complaints.

Sexual harassment may not always involve physical contact, but it still violates dignity and safety.

- Unwanted abusive, intrusive, offensive, or coercive sexual propositions, language or innuendo towards another
person. It may involve a single severe event or a pattern of less severe events that continue despite an indication
that they are unwanted and/or offensive (National Center on Sexual Behavior of Youth, 2003). These behaviors
may be physical, verbal or hints or indications of sexual nature. This harassment can happen in public places,
work or family where the perpetrator considers himself/ herself in a position of power.

is an act that reformed and codifi ed the law relating to sex offences. It expanded the
defi nition of rape, previously limited to vaginal sex, to include all non-consensual penetration; and it equalised the age of
consent for heterosexual and homosexual sex at 16. The act provides various services to the victims of sexual offences,
including free post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV, and the ability to obtain a court order to compel HIV testing of the
alleged offender. It also created the National Register for Sex Offenders, which records the details of those convicted of
sexual offences against children or people who are mentally disabled.

Sexual penetration refers to acts involving vaginal, anal, or oral penetration, including the insertion of objects or body parts. Under South Africa’s Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act (2007), penetration is defined broadly and includes any degree of entry, however slight.

This legal definition is important in sexual offence cases, including rape, as it ensures that different forms of violation are recognised under the law.

A feeling of sexual excitement resulting from administering pain, suffering, or humiliation to another person.
The pain, suffering, or humiliation inflicted on the other is real; it is not imagined and may be either physical or
psychological in nature (American Psychiatric Association, DSM IV, 2000).

as set out in the Sexual Offences Amendment Act this refers to an act of sexual penetration or an act of
sexual violation.

Sexual aggression is defined as the offenders’ act to impose [their] sexual will over another, nonconsenting, person using behaviors such as threats, intimidation, drugs, or physical force. Sexual aggression may happen to any person regardless of [their] socioeconomic status, education, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and so forth.

A state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing in all matters relating to the reproductive system and sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity. For sexual and reproductive health to be attained and maintained, the sexual and reproductive health rights of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled. Sexual and reproductive health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence.