What to Do After Sexual Assault: Medical Care, Evidence and Support — at Your Own Pace

It is not your fault

Whatever happened — whoever it was, wherever you were, whatever you wore, drank or said — sexual assault is always the fault of the person who did it. Freezing, not fighting back, or knowing the person doesn't change that. Many survivors freeze; it's a normal survival response.

There is no right way to feel or react. You can take things one step at a time, and every choice from here is yours.

Get somewhere safe

If you are in danger or badly hurt, call your local emergency number. Otherwise, try to get to a place where you feel safe, and consider calling someone you trust to be with you.

A sexual-assault helpline can talk with you right now, explain your options and tell you where your nearest specialist centre is. TrustFem's /help page lists hotlines by country. If the person who assaulted you is a partner or ex-partner, a domestic-abuse service can also help you make a safety plan.

Medical care

Even if you don't have visible injuries, medical care can help protect your health. Depending on where you live, it may include:

• Checking and treating injuries.
• Emergency contraception — most effective the sooner it's taken, and some types work up to five days afterwards.
• HIV prevention medication (PEP), which needs to be started as soon as possible and generally within 72 hours.
• Testing and treatment for other sexually transmitted infections.

You can go to a specialist sexual-assault centre, an emergency department, a sexual health clinic or your doctor. You can ask for a female clinician and bring a support person.

Evidence — without having to decide now

A forensic medical exam can collect evidence that may be useful if you ever decide to report. In many countries, specialist centres can carry this out and store the evidence for a period while you decide, without you having to go to police.

Evidence is generally best collected as soon as possible, often within about a week. If you can, and if it feels okay, it may help to avoid showering, eating or drinking, or changing clothes before the exam — and to keep clothes in a paper bag. But if you've already washed, you can still have an exam and care. Do what you need to do to get through.

Also consider saving any messages, call logs or photos.

Reporting to police is your choice

You can report straight away, later, or never. In many places there is no time limit for reporting serious sexual offences, though laws differ by country and state. Some areas also allow anonymous or third-party reporting.

If you do report, you can usually have a support worker or advocate with you. Specialist advocates can explain how the process works and support you through it.

Emotional support and recovery

In the days and weeks after an assault, you might feel shock, fear, numbness, anger, guilt or nothing at all. You might have trouble sleeping or concentrating. All of these are common.

Specialist sexual-violence counselling, helplines and survivor groups can help, whether the assault happened yesterday or years ago. Be gentle with yourself, and lean on people who believe you. If you're browsing on a shared device, TrustFem's Quick Exit button (press Esc twice) takes you away quickly, and you may want to clear your browsing history.