Vale of Glamorgan Council
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Sexual Violence / Abuse

Sexual violence is any unwanted sexual activity

It includes violence, coercion, or manipulation. This can happen regardless of the victim's relationship to the perpetrator.

 

Types of sexual violence include: 

  • Rape 

  • Sexual assault 

  • Incest 

  • Sexual exploitation 

  • Unwanted or inappropriate contact 

  • Sexual harassment 

  • Revenge porn 

  • Exposure 

  • Threats 

  • Stalking/cyberstalking 

You might be experiencing sexual violence if someone forces or exploits you into sexual acts. The abuser can be a stranger or someone you know, like family or partners. 

 

SARC 

Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) offer medical, practical, and emotional support to anyone who has faced rape, sexual assault, or abuse. SARCs have trained doctors, nurses, and support workers. They are available nationwide for all, regardless of gender, age, or when the incident occurred. 

 

SARCs provide various services, such as crisis care, medical exams, emergency contraception, and STI testing. They can also connect you with an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) and direct you to mental health and sexual violence support services. 

 

To get help from a SARC, book an appointment with your nearest center:

 

Find a SARC 

New Pathways 

New Pathways is the largest sexual violence support provider in Wales. With 30 years of experience, they offer specialized therapeutic support to adults and children affected by rape, sexual assault, or abuse. 

 

As a charity, they provide a full range of free crisis, advocacy, wellbeing, and counseling services. 

 

Contact New Pathways 

Child Sexual Abuse 

A child is sexually abused when forced or persuaded to engage in sexual activities. This can happen without physical contact and may even occur online. Children might not realize they are being abused or that it is wrong. 

 

Defining Child Sexual Abuse 

There are two types of child sexual abuse: contact abuse and non-contact abuse. 

 

Contact Abuse involves physical contact, including: 

  • Sexual touching of any body part, with or without clothes 

  • Rape or penetration using an object or body part 

  • Forcing or encouraging a child to engage in sexual activity 

  • Making a child remove their clothes, touch someone else’s genitals, or masturbate 

Non-Contact Abuse includes non-touching activities, such as grooming, exploitation, or persuading children to perform sexual acts online. This includes: 

  • Encouraging a child to watch or hear sexual acts 

  • Failing to protect a child from sexual activities by others 

  • Meeting a child after sexual grooming to abuse them 

  • Online abuse involving child abuse images 

  • Allowing others to create or distribute child abuse images 

  • Showing pornography to a child 

  • Sexually exploiting a child for money, power, or status 

For more information, read the official definitions of child sexual abuse in the UK. 

Don't wait—call the police at 999 or contact the NSPCC helpline at 0808 800 5000 right away. 

 

If you’re concerned about a child but unsure, reach out to the NSPCC helpline to talk with a trained counselor at 0808 800 5000.