There are numerous forms of sexual offense, and some of the commonly committed sexual offenses are rape and sexual assault, date rape, stalking, pedophilia, child pornography and incest. Such sexual offenses can ruin the life of the victim with various problems like nightmares, rage, emotional numbing, hyper-vigilance, anxiety and panic or many such things. Hence, such sexual offenders are severely punished and rehabilitated to prevent them from repeating this crime. Read to find out the penalties for few of these often repeated offenses.
Rape and Sexual Assault
Rape by a stranger, exhibitionism, obscene phone calls, fondling, voyeurism and sexual harassment are all regarded as sexual assault. Rape is the most severe offense of all these, where without the victim’s consent, sexual intercourse is done by a stranger by means of violence. Both stranger and acquaintance rapes take place often; however, acquaintance rape is more prevalent. One common aspect about all these types of assault is the loss of control and power by the victim. Rape convicts are sentenced with life sentence or a death sentence.
Date Rape
It is a type of acquaintance rape occurring between the two dating partners. Here, emotional manipulation or coercion is the reason for the compulsion of sexual intercourse with his/her dating partner. Such sexual intercourse by violence is penalized with 8 to 14 years of imprisonment.
Child Sexual Abuse
When a person or another child forces, compels, threatens or manipulates a child to indulge in sexual activity, it is referred to as child sexual abuse. Exposing a child to pornography, fondling their sexual organs, indulging a child in sexual activity with another person or sexually penetrating a child’s anus or vagina with penis, hand or other objects are all various forms of abusing a child sexually. Persistent sexual abuse of child can get the culprit 25 years of imprisonment, while sexual intercourse with child between 10 and 16 years can get 8 years of imprisonment.
Incest
Intercourse or mere touching of sexual parts between a child and an adult member of the family or among siblings is incest. Attempt of incest is given a penalty of 2 years of imprisonment, while incest is penalized with 7 or 8 years of imprisonment.
Getting Legal Help
When you are victimized by any of these sexual offenses or falsely accused of a sexual offense, you need to take the help of a criminal defense lawyer. With the help of this lawyer, you can legally take action against the offenders or come clear out of false allegations imposed on you.