How are 'sexual abuse' and 'sexual harassment' defined under PREA?

• A. Sexual abuse includes forced or coerced sexual activity or contact.
• B. Sexual abuse includes forced or coerced sexual activity or contact; sexual harassment involves unwanted advances, comments, or behaviors that create a hostile environment.
• C. Sexual abuse is any touching, and harassment is any comment.
• D. Sexual harassment is allowed in certain circumstances.

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is distinguishing between actual sexual abuse and sexual harassment as defined by PREA. PREA treats sexual abuse as an act that involves force, threat, coercion, or otherwise non-consent in sexual activity or contact. In other words, it’s about the presence of coercion in a sexual act.

Sexual harassment, on the other hand, refers to unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or nonverbal conduct of a sexual nature that creates a hostile, threatening, or intimidating environment. It can occur even without any physical contact, focusing on the unwelcome nature of the conduct and its impact on the person.

So, the best answer aligns with these distinctions: sexual abuse includes forced or coerced sexual activity or contact; sexual harassment involves unwanted advances, comments, or behaviors that create a hostile environment. The other options either oversimplify abuse to any touching, or wrongly state that harassment is permissible under certain circumstances.