The Quebec government’s 2001 Orientations gouvernementales defines sexual abuse as “an act of a sexual nature, either with or without physical contact, committed without the consent of the individual or, in certain cases especially involving children, through emotional manipulation or blackmail.

It is an act intended to subjugate another person to one’s desires through an abuse of power, the use of force or coercion, or under implicit or explicit threat. Sexual assault violates a person’s fundamental rights, in particular, their physical and psychological integrity and their security.

This definition applies regardless of the age, gender, culture, religion, or sexual orientation of the victim or the sexual assailant, regardless of the type of sexual act committed, the place or environment in which it was committed, and the relationship between the victim and the sexual assailant.”