Bodily autonomy is defined as the right to self governance over one’s own body without external influence or coercion. It is generally considered to be a fundamental human right. Bodily autonomy relates to the concept of affirmative consent, which requires full and eager participation in any sexual encounter. Bodily autonomy is also applicable to each…
Category: Laws in the U.S.
Sex Work
Sex work is defined as the “commercial exchange of sex for money or goods,” and sex workers are individuals who are employed in the sex industry.1 Sex work differs from sexual exploitation, or sex trafficking, in that sex workers are not forced into any act by coercion, violence, or deception. The broad category of sex work includes specific jobs…
What Is Consent?
Disclaimer: We acknowledge that there are many different words that individuals use to describe themselves after experiencing sexual assault. In this article, we use the term ‘survivor’ for the sake of consistency. We acknowledge that there are many ways of processing sexual violence, and believe each individual person should choose the language that they are most…
Statutory Rape in America
What is Statutory Rape? Statutory rape is defined as sexual contact with a minor. Typically, statutory rape refers to a legal adult engaging in sexual activity someone under the age of consent. Statutory rape differs from other types of rape and child molestation because there is no requirement of force. Statutory rape can involve underage…
The Definition of Rape
Disclaimer: We acknowledge that there are many different words that individuals use to describe themselves after experiencing sexual assault. In this article we use the term “survivor” for the sake of consistency. We acknowledge that there are many different ways of processing sexual violence and believe each individual person should choose the language that they…
Sex Tourism
Sex tourism is defined as traveling with the primary motivation to engage in commercial sexual relations .1 Every year, millions of sightseers visit the sex tourism hubs of developing nations in search of sex, intimacy, exoticism, adventure, and freedom from social constraints. Many sex tourists seek an experience different than their everyday lives without the…
Polygamy
Polygamy is the practice of being married marriage to more than one spouse at a time. The person married to several spouses could have more than one wife, more than one husband, or both. The topic of polygamy is taboo, with many countries around the world enforcing moral or legal sanctions against those who practice…
Incest Laws in the United States
Incest is defined as “sexual intercourse between persons so closely related that they are forbidden to marry; also: the statutory crime of such a relationship1.” In more simple terms, incest is sexual intercourse between people who are very closely related. Incest can occur between people in a consanguineous relationship or between people who are related…