Our Mission

The Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs, Inc. (KASAP) is the statewide coalition of the 13 rape crisis centers in the Commonwealth. The mission of KASAP is to speak with a unified voice against sexual victimization.

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What is Sexual Violence?

Anytime a person forces, coerces, or manipulates another person into unwanted or harmful sexual activity, he or she has committed sexual violence. Consent is the critical issue; all the people involved must consent, or agree to be a part of the activity.

Consent has two parts: (1) an actual expression of agreement (2) by someone legally competent to give consent (i.e., not under age 16, intoxicated, or otherwise legally deemed incapable of consent – see below). Silence is not consent. Sometimes victims are too scared, disoriented, or shocked to fight back or say no.

Sexual violence is perpetrated in many forms, including attacks (such as forcible rape), intimate contact without consent (such as child molestation, sex with an intoxicated person, or groping), and non-physical aggression (such as stalking, verbal coercion, or harassment). Definitions of particular forms of sexual violence are often based on criminal law. As these vary by state, definitions used within this site are based on the Kentucky Revised Statutes or KRS.

For more information on sexual assault and the law, visit the Legal Information section.

 

This project was supported by Grant Number VAWA ARRA-2009-KASAP-00034 awarded through the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The Opinions, findings, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women or the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.