What forms of violence affect young women?
Unfortunately, all forms. About one half of all sexual assaults happen to women between the ages of 16 and 21. Most of these sexual assaults happen in dating situations. Some girls (and some boys) are survivors of child sexual abuse- that is unwanted touching or sexual acts performed by a family member, relative, or adult caregiver, most commonly a male. Most girls experience sexual harassment in school and on the streets. Sexual harassment refers to any unwanted touching, comments, put downs, or unwanted sexual advances. With few exceptions (such as pressure to have sex) no one action is always harassment: it depends upon the context. If male and female friends always comment on each other´s clothes, that´s fine. But if a man stares at a woman´s shirt and says, with a certain tone of voice, “nice shirt”, it is harassment. All this, and the surrounding culture that still has men in positions of social power, has a deep impact on young women. American women continue to experience the so
