Reporting rape

What to do if I’ve been raped?

Get to a safe place. Call 911 if you can. The most important thing after a rape is your safety.

Don’t wash or clean your body. If you shower, bathe, or wash after an assault, you might wash away important evidence. Don’t brush, comb, or clean any part of your body, including your teeth. Don’t change clothes, if possible. Don’t touch or change anything at the scene of the assault. That way, the local police will have physical evidence from the person who assaulted you.

Get medical care. Call 911 or go to your nearest hospital emergency room. You need to be examined and treated for injuries. The doctor or nurse may give you medicine to prevent HIV and some other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy. The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) can help you find a hospital with staff members who are trained to collect evidence of sexual assault.

Ask for a sexual assault forensic examiner (SAFE) or a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE). A doctor or nurse will use a rape kit to collect evidence. This might be fibers, hairs, saliva, semen, or clothing left behind by the attacker. You do not have to decide whether to press charges while at the hospital. You do not need to press charges in order to have evidence collected with a rape kit.

If you think you were drugged, talk to the hospital staff about testing for date rape drugs, such as Rohypnol and GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid). Date rape drugs pass through the body quickly and may not be detectable by the time you get tested.

Reach out for help. The hospital staff can connect you with the local rape crisis center. Staff there can help you make choices about reporting the sexual assault and getting help through counseling and support groups. You can also call a friend or family member you trust to call a crisis center or hotline for you. Crisis centers and hotlines have trained volunteers and other professionals (such as mental health professionals) who can help you find support and resources near you. One hotline is the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673). If you are in the military, you may also call the Department of Defense Safe Helpline at 877-995-5247.

Report the sexual assault to the police. If you want to report the assault to the police, hospital workers can help you contact the local police. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you want to report sexual assault that happened in the past, call your local police non-emergency number or make a report in person at the police station.

Talk to someone about reporting the assault to the police. If you want to talk to someone first about reporting the assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673). An advocate or counselor can help you understand how to report the crime. Even though these calls are free, they may appear on your phone bill. If you think that the person who sexually assaulted you may check your phone bill, try to call from a friend’s phone or a public phone.

If the person who assaulted you was a stranger, write down as many details as you can remember about the person and what happened. This will help you make a clear statement to police and medical providers about the sexual assault. With good information, they will be better able to help you and find the person who assaulted you.

Steps in reporting:

Since the order and procedure varies by location it is a good idea to ask your local rape crisis center.

“For victims, the experience of reporting rape falls into several different stages. Depending on the circumstances of the case, some of the stages may overlap, some may be omitted and the order in which they occur may vary but broadly speaking they are as follows [in the UK]:

(i) Contacting the police

(ii) First encounter with the police

(iii) The medical

(iv) Making a statement

(v) Investigation of the case

(vi) Follow-up

(vii) Court ” (Temkin, 1999)

Diagram on crime victim treatment from JONATHAN SHEPHERD’s Editorial on Victim services in the National Health Service (NHS)

The officers will likely ask why the victims waited to report. Common factors are:

Fear of reprisals,
Not being able to identify an assailant,
Anxiety ahout having own conduct scrutinized.
Undeserved guilt combined with embarrassment
Victim/self-blaming (Frasier, 2006) more

Ways to get a better conviction rate:

Emphasizing the psychological impact of the attack on victims through a victim’s impact statement.
When writing the victim impact statement consider the four injuries: physical, financial, social and emotional.

You have the right to ask for information about

The course of the proceedings
Victim’s rights throughout the proceedings
Support available in case of threats by the perpetrator
Confusing legal language
Psychological counseling
“One of the basic rights of crime victims granted under victim-orientated legislation introduced during the last 20 years in more than 100 countries worldwide is the right to be referred to victim support by the police.” (Winkel et. al., 2004)

“Findings indicate that barriers prevalent 30 years ago, prior to efforts by the rape reform movement, continue to be considered important among college men and women. The barriers rated as the most important were (1) shame, guilt, embarrassment, not wanting friends and family to know; (2) concerns about confidentiality; and (3) fear of not being believed. Both genders perceived a fear of being judged as gay as an important barrier for male victims of sexual assault or rape and fear of retaliation by the perpetrator to be an important barrier for female victims.” (Sable & Danis, 2006)

Barriers to reporting

“Nine themes describing the existence of barriers to reporting.

(1) difficulties encountered when reporting;

(2) doubts by providers about the validity of the accusation;

(3) lack of services, inadequate number of hours, too few providers;

(4) community and family reluctance to acknowledge the problem of sexual assault;

(5) fear of the perpetrator, the examination and of public exposure;

(6) acquaintance with the perpetrator;

(7) impaired cognitive ability and

(8) feelings of vulnerability, guilt, humiliation and the desire for secrecy.

(9) An unexpected and disconcerting finding was the admitted reluctance of service providers to provide service for victims of sexual assault.” (Young, 2002) link to article

How to describe your assault

Sometimes it can be hard to describe (put into words) what happened to you. You may be embarrassed or feel un-deserved shame.

There is a simple formula you can use to give a comprehensive answer to medical, legal and law enforcement personnel.

Most survivors know that telling people what physically took place is really just the tip of the iceberg. The whole scope of the effects an assault can have is what victim impact statements address. You don’t want to read a whole page to someone so here is a format you can use (if you choose to) to briefly state your experience in your own words:

There are 3 parts: TYPE / PERP /EFFECTS

1/ Type of rape. Was it stranger rape, acquaintance rape, gang rape?

2/ Type of rapist or percieved intent of rapist. Did you think they were trying to control you or obtain sexual gratification?

3/ Effects of rape: Psychological / or the four injuries: Body, Mind, Financial, Social.

Paste the above together to make a full statement:

Here is an example:

Drug facilitated fraternity gang rape with perceived intent to humiliate, control and degrade. The effects being life long PTSD, a life threatening eating disorder, temporary self injury and permanent OCD as well as social injuries of stigma of shame.

This is a description based on: Type of rape/Type of rapist or percieved intent of rapist/Effects of rape: psychological or the four injuries.

Types of rape

Stranger rape
-Blitz Sexual Assault
-Contact Sexual Assault
-Home Invasion Sexual Assault
Statutory rape
Child sexual abuse and incest
Acquaintance or “date” rape
Spousal rape or partner rape
Gang rape
Drug facilitated rape
Communicative or verbal / Virtual reality rape and abuse (such as A Rape in Cyber Space- graphic)
Forcible touching – Intentionally and for no legitimate purpose forcibly touch the sexual or other intimate parts of another for the purpose of degrading or abusing their victim or gratifying the actor’s sexual desire.
Nonconsensual “noncontact – such as voyeurism is also considered sexual violence.” (Esposito, 2006)
Sexual coercion – Any situation in which one person uses verbal or physical means (including the administration of drugs or alcohol, with or without the other person’s consent) to obtain sexual activity against consent. ( Adams-Curtis & Forbes, 2004)
Non-consensual tribadism or frottage.
Non-consensual cunnilingus.

Type of rapists and their percieved intent

These are based on rapist’s profiles: power-assertive rapist, power-reassurance rapist, anger-retaliatory rapist, anger-excitation rapist. (Groth) Most rapes are not about lust or sex. They are about power, control and at times violence.

Perceived Intent to:

humiliate
degrade
disempower
punish (power, hate crime)
control (power)
gain sexual gratification
inflict bodily harm
terrorize
sexual exploitation
shame
show ownership of the victim
all of the above

Effects of the rape

To most victims the long term effects of the rape are the most important thing of all. This topic addresses the changes in self image, thinking, functioning and major life changes suffered as a direct result of the rape. This is something the victim often has to deal with for their entire life. The four injuries all crime victims suffer are usually listed in victim impact statements as physical, financial, social and emotional.

“Victim impact statements usually describe the harm the offense has had on the victim, including descriptions of the financial, physical, psychological or emotional impact, harm to familial relationships, descriptions of any medical treatments or psychological services required by the victim or the victim’s family as a result of the victimization, and the need for any restitution. “

Rape has effects which many survivors suffer regardless of the level of violence involved. This also includes somatic (body) symptoms

“Sexual assault was also a significant statistical predictor of having multiple sick days in the prior 6 months and of being a high utilizer of primary care visits in the prior 6 months. These data confirm a strong association between sexual trauma exposure and somatic symptoms, illness attitudes and healthcare utilization in women.” ( Stein et. al., 2004)

I/ Physical- body and mind.

a/ Psychological damage and brain functioning

(Invisible damage)

Immediate symptoms
PTSD
OCD
DID
Eating disorders and rape
Self Injury
Self blame
Flashbacks
Memory and ptsd
Panic attacks
Body memories
The mask
Sleeping problems
PTSD and communication
Secondary victimization
Physical symptoms
Pregnancy
Date rape drugs
b/ Physical: Scars or injuries.

II Financial

Financial: Loss of ability to work, educational opportunities lost, legal costs, medical bills.

III Social and Emotional

Pain and suffering (social and emotional): Long term life-altering changes/effects of rape such as loss of ability to work, having to drop out of school, ostracism due to the stigma of rape such as secondary victimization (reactions of others).

About social injuries or secondary victimization:

“Social Injury
In the earlier section on The Four Injuries, the social injury was described. If a victim is treated with dignity, compassion and respect, she may have less difficulty dealing with these immediate and long-term crisis reactions. If she is treated poorly, these reactions may be made worse. When such reactions are worsened, the actions of others are called the “social injury.” Some examples of social injuries are as follows:

* The law enforcement officer or a family member may not believe the victim when she tries to report a crime. For a crime victim with a disability, in particular, the social injury may occur when the victim realizes that other people may not believe her simply because of her disability.
* The story about the crime may be reported in the newspaper, on the television or radio, or may be a source of “gossip” in the community. This can embarrass the victim, especially if the facts are reported incorrectly, if personal information about the victim is given, or if the victim is made to appear foolish.
* Family, friends or even a clergy member may not be helpful or understanding. They may “blame” the victim (not always on purpose) for what happened or they may not want the victim to talk about it because it could cause the family shame.
* Doctors or nurses may not always identify physical injuries as being crime-related.
* Other sources of social injury include mental health professionals, social service workers, victim service workers, schools or educators, victim compensation systems, disability program workers, and employers.”

How do I report sexual assault?

Rainn.org advices

You have several options for reporting sexual assault:

Call 911. If you are in immediate danger, dial 911. Help will come to you, wherever you are.
Contact the local police department. Call the direct line of your local police station or visit the station in person. If you are on a college campus you may also be able to contact campus-based law enforcement.
Visit a medical center. If you are being treated for injuries resulting from sexual assault, tell a medical professional that you wish to report the crime. You can also choose to have a sexual assault forensic exam. To find an appropriate local health facility that is prepared to care for survivors, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673).
To learn more about the options in your area, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673). You’ll be connected to a staff member from a local sexual assault service provider who will walk you through the process of getting help and reporting to law enforcement at your own pace. In most areas, there are specific law enforcement officers who are trained to interact with sexual assault survivors. Service providers can connect you to these officers, and might also send a trained advocate to accompany you through the reporting process.

Who will I be talking to?
In most areas, there are specific law enforcement officers who are trained to interact with survivors of sexual assault. In addition, many law enforcement agencies participate in Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs), which provide a survivor-centered, coordinated response to sexual assault. SARTs incorporate medical personnel, law enforcement, and sexual assault service providers in your area. They work together to organize the investigation, reduce repetition of questions and interviews, and facilitate communication among all agencies involved.

Learn more about communicating with law enforcement.

Is there a time limit on reporting to the police?
There is no limitation on when a victim can report a crime to police. However, in many states, there is a limitation on when charges can be filed and a case can be prosecuted. This is called the statute of limitations. Statutes of limitation vary by state, type of crime, age of the victim, and various other factors. Visit RAINN’s State Law Database to learn more about the criminal statutes of limitation where you are.

What are some common concerns about reporting?
If you have questions or concerns about reporting, you’re not alone. The list below may have answers to some common questions that are on your mind.

The perpetrator got scared away or stopped before finishing the assault. Attempted rape is a serious crime and can be reported. Reports of attempted rape and other assault are taken seriously.
I know the person who hurt me. About 2/3 of victims know the perpetrator. It can be unnerving to be violated by someone you know. Regardless of who the perpetrator is, sexual assault is against the law.
I’ve been intimate with the perpetrator in the past, or am currently in a relationship with the perpetrator.Sexual assault can occur within a relationship. Giving someone consent in the past does not give them consent for any act in the future. If you did not consent, they acted against the law—and you can report it.
I have no physical injuries, and I’m worried there’s not enough proof. Most sexual assaults do not result in external physical injuries. It’s important to receive medical attention to check for internal injuries. You can also choose to have a sexual assault forensic exam to check for DNA evidence that may not be visible on the surface.
I’m worried law enforcement won’t believe me. There has been great investment in police training on this topic. While there are occasional exceptions, most law enforcement officers are understanding and on your side. If you do encounter someone who isn’t taking your case seriously, ask for their supervisor and let your local sexual assault service provider know.
I don’t want to get in trouble. Sometimes minors are afraid of being disciplined, either by the law or by their parents, because they were doing something they shouldn’t have when the abuse occurred. For example, a teen might have been consuming alcohol, or a child might have been breaking a house rule. It’s important to remember that sexual assault is a crime—no matter the circumstances. Nothing you did caused this to happen.
Do I have to report to get rape kit?
By law, you are not required to report to law enforcement in order to receive a sexual assault forensic exam, commonly referred to as a “rape kit.” The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 has made it easier for someone to have a “Jane Doe rape kit,” where they are given a code to identify themselves if they choose to report later.

Does it matter whether or not I know the perpetrator? Can I still have an exam?
There is value in having a sexual assault forensic exam performed, regardless of whether or not you know the identity of the perpetrator or perpetrators. DNA evidence collected during the exam can play an important role in the case against the perpetrator.

Will I have to pay for the exam?
By law, you should not be billed for the direct costs of a sexual assault forensic exam. The way states handle this law can vary. Since 2009, states have been required to provide sexual assault forensic exams for free or via reimbursement, regardless of cooperation with law enforcement. Starting in 2015, health facilities will no longer be able to charge for exams up front and ask for victims to file reimbursement through their insurance later. If you have questions about a bill your received related to your exam or about any other aspects of the process, you can contact your local sexual assault service provider or state coalition.

https://rainn.org/articles/reporting-law-enforcement

Sex victims