Sexual violence can happen at any age but research has found that young adults might be at higher risk.

 

Sexual violence and dating
During a large online research study, 45% of girls said they know a friend or peer who has been pressured into having either vaginal or oral sex (Futures Without Violence, 2010).

 

Technology and abuse
Pressure from a dating partner or even friends can be a reason to send sexy images or messages – 51% of young women who took a survey said they felt a lot of pressure from a guy they liked or were dating to send sexual pictures or texts (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com, 2008).

 

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment can include verbal harassment like unwelcome comments about a person and inappropriate jokes. Harassment can also be virtual through texts, social media sites, or by other electronic sources. Almost half of students in a nationally representative survey said they had experienced some form of sexual harassment at school (Hill & Kearl, 2011).