Medium
Topic
- IPSV
Those of us working in the anti-rape movement know that, statistically, the majority of sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone the victim knows, including intimate partners. According to sociologist and author Raquel Kennedy-Bergen,
Intimate partner sexual violence is abuse or assault of a sexual nature perpetrated by someone in an intimate relationship to the survivor. It includes a wide variety of offenses including rape, coercion, forcing the partner to perform sexual acts they are uncomfortable with, etc., and can occur in all types of relationships, be it marriage, cohabiting partners, dating relationships, and same-sex relationships. It stems from issues of power and control, gender-role stereotyping, religious, cultural and sociological factors, beliefs held about marriage and obligation, and a whole host of other issues.