Sexual assault is any form of non-consensual sexual contact. Examples of sexual assault include:
- Attempted or completed rape (penetration of victim).
- Unwanted sexual touching of body parts.
- Forced sexual acts, such as oral sex.
Protection for Sexual Assault Victims
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
A sexual assault victim can file for a protective order through the Sexual Assault Survivors Protection Act (SASPA). The law provides protection to victims who know their abusers but have never dated, been married to, lived together, or shared children. If a court makes a finding that a nonconsensual contact occurred and that there is a need for protection, a victim may be granted a permanent protective order prohibiting the abuser from maintaining contact and/or physical proximity to the victim. To learn more about filing for a protective order under SASPA, click here.
If you are 18 years of age or older and need help to file for a protective order, click here for more information about how Partners can help you.
To learn more about SASPA, take a look at our video below.
*Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2018 (2019). Note: RAINN applies a 5-year rolling average to adjust for changes in the year-to-year NCVS survey data.
Get Help
If you are in imminent danger, dial 911.
Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
Partners provides free legal services to low-income domestic violence and sexual assault victims. To contact us for help:
Phone: 973-233-0111
Text: 732-535-6318
Email: gethelp@pfwj.org
For more information about how Partners might be able to help you, check out our Get Help page.