What is Sexual Coercion?

Sexual coercion is when someone uses pressure, alcohol or drugs, or force to engage in sexual activity with you against your will. This includes persistent attempts to have sexual contact after you have refused.

What Does It Look Like?

Sexual coercion can take many forms, such as:

• Someone keeps asking you for sex even after you’ve said no multiple times.
• They lie to you or make false promises just to get you to agree to have sex.
• They threaten to break up with you or spread rumours about you if you don’t agree to have sex with them.
• An authority figure, like a boss or a teacher, uses their power to make you feel like you have to have sex with them.

How to Recognise It

Here are some common phrases that might indicate sexual coercion:

“Come on, it’s my birthday.”

“Everything’s perfect, why do you have to ruin it?”

“I paid for the meal, you owe me!”

“I won’t talk to you again if you don’t.”

“After everything I’ve done for you!”

“Just do it, then I’ll stop asking.”

“I thought you liked me!”

“Give me one reason why not!”

“Everyone thinks we have anyway, so might as well.”

“You owe me anyway, we can call it quits.”

“I’ll make it worth your while.”

“I’ll just tell people we did anyway.”

Healthy Relationships

In a good and healthy relationship, you should never feel like you have to do anything sexual if you don’t want to. If someone forces you into sexual activity without your agreement, it’s assault.

Sexual coercion means feeling like you’re being pushed or forced into having sexual contact with someone against your will.