Rape: How and where to seek advice or open up if the perpetrators are blood relatives such as fathers, brothers, grandfathers and uncles
Rape is an unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person, with or without force, by a sex organ, another body part, or foreign object, without the consent of the victim.
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you may be both physically and emotionally affected. Go to a safe place first things first, then notify the police immediately. Reporting the crime can help you regain a sense of personal power and control. Call a friend, a family member, or someone else you trust who can be with you and give you support. Preserve all physical evidence of the assault.
Do not shower, bathe, douche, eat, drink, wash your hands, or brush your teeth until after you have had a medical examination. Save all of the clothing you were wearing at the time of the assault. Do not clean or disturb anything in the area where the assault occurred. Get medical care as soon as possible if possible. The Police might send you to a hospital emergency department or a specialized forensic clinic that provides treatment for sexual assault victims.
Even if you think that you do not have any physical injuries, you should still have a medical examination and discuss with a health care provider the risk of exposure to sexually transmitted infections and the possibility of pregnancy resulting from the sexual assault. Having a medical exam is also a way for you to preserve physical evidence of a sexual assault. Write down as much as you can remember about the circumstances of the assault, including a description of the assailant. Get information whenever you have questions or concerns. After a sexual assault, you have a lot of choices and decisions to make – e.g., about getting medical care, making a police report, and telling other people. You may have concerns about the impact of the assault and the reactions of friends and family members.
You can get information by calling a rape crisis center, a hotline, or other victim assistance agencies. Talk with a counselor who is trained to assist rape victims. Counseling can help you learn how to cope with the emotional and physical impacts of the assault. You can find a counselor by contacting a local rape crisis center, a hotline, a counseling service, and other victim assistance agencies. All of the above will be hard but if done will be a great help to the victim and the police.