Table 3.

Definition of the main concepts of the theory.

Concepts	Definition
A woman or a girl who is a victim of sexual violence	A woman or a girl who has been sexually assaulted is an individual who is part of a family and a community. The violence has made her more sensitive than usual to stress and she needs trauma-informed healthcare and trauma-informed therapy. She is now more vulnerable to various forms of violence.
Health	Health has many dimensions, including physical, mental, emotional, social, and societal. A woman’s health can be enhanced or weakened in various ways. A woman’s subjective health consists of her conceptual understanding of her own strengths, which enables her to achieve her most important goals regarding long-term happiness and well-being. Sexual violence has a significant negative impact on every dimension of health of the victim.
The environment	A woman’s and a girl’s environment can be divided into two dimensions: the inner, which includes the woman’s/girl’s needs, expectations, past experiences and her own self-image; and the external, which includes factors outside the woman and the girl that affect her, her family, friends and community. Sexual violence is a very destructive environmental factor that creates a toxic environment for the victim.
Empowering a woman or a girl who has been sexually assaulted	A woman’s and a girl’s subjective feelings about being empowered. Self-empowerment reduces a woman’s and a girl’s vulnerability in her situation, increases her well-being, gives her a stronger “voice” in her situation and a greater sense of control of her situation. Empowerment enables her to strengthen herself and cope better with the situation she is in.