The Department of Justice suggest that over 1.5 million women and 834,700 men are raped and/or physically assaulted annually. Sexual assault is any type of sexual contact or sexual behavior towards an individual without the individual’s explicit consent. Essentially, any unwanted and nonconsensual sexual activity is considered sexual assault which includes rape, groping, fondling, unwanted sexual touching, forcible penetration with an object and forcible sodomy. “Unwanted” does not necessarily mean that a person did not want to participate in such activities. It simply means that those activities were prohibited in some way. Two consenting adults could participate in sexual activity, but it could still be considered sexual assault based on the limits of the situation.
If you have experienced sexual assault during your stay at a short term rental, your response should be determined by the nature of the incident. If dangerous and ongoing, the most important thing that you can do is to remove yourself from the situation. If you need to seek assistance, do so immediately. Document the incident immediately as well by:
