Different people refer to those who have experienced sexual assault as ‘victims’ and others use the term ‘survivor’. Individuals who have experienced sexual assault may prefer one word over the other and some use each of the terms to describe their experience at different times.
When a person has experience trauma, they may feel overwhelmed or in crisis, their capacity to cope may be overloaded and they may feel paralyzed. The word ‘victims’ can reflect this difficult and distressing time, which may last weeks, months, and for some people, years. It can also conjure up the sense that the person who experienced the sexual assault was subjected to the tactics of an offender.
The word ‘victim’ is also used by police and in criminal proceeding to denote that the person who has experienced an offence is not responsible for the offence.
The word ‘survivor’s sometimes used in a therapeutic context and for some people it represents resilience and the ability to take action. The term can capture a sense of resourcefulness and strength in overcoming obstacles despite having gone through immense trauma.