Understanding the legal implications of partner abuse
Sexual Abuse
These are the criminal offences involving sexual abuse:
- Sexual assault
- Sexual assault with a weapon
- Sexual assault while threatening to harm someone else, for example, a child
- Sexual assault whilst causing bodily harm to the victim
- Aggravated sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault that is committed in circumstances of a sexual nature in a way that the sexual integrity of the victim is violated. Aggravated sexual assault is committed when the attack wounds, maims, disfigures, or endangers the life of the victim.
There is no longer a criminal offence of "rape". It is dealt with as a sexual assault. Sexual assault can occur between parties who are married.
| Legal Implications - Continued: |
July 2003
©1998-1999 Legal Resource Centre of Alberta.
