There are many complicated reasons why boys and men commit sexual assault.
For example, boys and men constantly receive sexist and violent messages about how they should act and how they should treat girls and women.

These harmful messages might lead them to think that a sexual assault is no big deal or even to think about committing one.

Harmful, sexist ideas show up almost everywhere – you may hear them from your friends and people at school, from song lyrics, music videos, movies and other media, and from your parents or other relatives. They might come from people you dislike, or from people you like and respect.

Some of these harmful ideas include:

• Considering it okay for males to use violence and other threatening behaviours to get what they want.
• Thinking that males are allowed to act in sexual ways toward girls and women without first getting their consent.
• Believing that females always like sexual attention, even when they say they don’t.
• Believing that females always should be available and willing to fulfill males’ sexual desires.
• Considering males as more important than females and that females’ ideas, opinions and work are not as valuable as males’.
• Thinking that females don’t deserve the same respect and opportunities as males.
• Believing that males have a right to control the girls and women in their lives – if they don’t they aren’t “real men” and should feel ashamed.

All of these sexist and violent messages are FALSE, yet many people mistakenly believe them.

Boys and men who believe these harmful messages may be more likely to commit sexual assault. They may feel threatened when females do not share these ideas because they are afraid of feeling powerless or ashamed around other people. As a result, they may feel a sense of power when they control a girl or woman by manipulating, threatening, or physically assaulting her.