What to do if you’ve been raped

Everyone responds otherwise to the acquisition of sexual violence. There is nary close oregon incorrect mode to feel, behave oregon woody with the aftermath.

It’s mean to person a substance of confusing thoughts and feelings – oregon nary astatine all.

Physical safety, health and affectional wellbeing are each considerations that survivors volition woody with successful their ain time.

The astir important happening to retrieve is that it is not your fault. Do not blasted yourself. Rape is simply a superior crime that tin ne'er beryllium justified, and it is ne'er deserved. 

If you person been the victim of rape, either precocious oregon historically, and are looking for help, enactment is retired there.

What is rape?

Rape refers to penetration of the vagina, anus oregon rima with a penis without the different person’s consent.

The enactment of rape is unsocial from the broader transgression of intersexual assault, which covers immoderate intersexual enactment that happens without consent oregon that takes spot forcibly against your will, and includes groping, forced kissing oregon intersexual torture. 

Anyone tin beryllium raped, careless of sex, age, sex recognition oregon intersexual orientation, though it is simply a transgression chiefly perpetrated by men against women. According to Rape Crisis England and Wales, 91% of those prosecuted for intersexual offences are men aged 18 and over.

Rape is simply a crime. However, if you person oregon deliberation you person been raped, you bash not request to study your acquisition to constabulary either immediately, oregon ever, should you not consciousness comfy doing so. Either way, enactment is retired there. 

How communal is rape?

Between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024, astir 70,000 rapes were recorded by constabulary successful the UK.

Nearly 2 cardinal women successful the UK aged 16 positive person been victims of rape. 

One successful 2 big rape survivors person experienced rape much than once.

What to bash if you person been raped oregon sexually assaulted

If you person precocious been raped and you are inactive astatine risk, ringing 999 and inquire for the police.

Otherwise, the archetypal measurement is to spell determination you are safe. This whitethorn impact going to a comparative oregon a friend’s location if the rape took spot successful your ain location and you nary longer consciousness comfy there.

If you don’t privation to interaction the constabulary yet – oregon ever – Rape Crisis suggest talking to idiosyncratic you spot astir what has happened. Telling idiosyncratic does not mean you volition person to marque an authoritative study to the police, oregon archer anyone else.

If you don’t privation to speech to idiosyncratic you know, you tin ringing 1 of the UK’s galore rape and intersexual battle helplines. 

Anyone aged 16+ tin interaction Rape Crisis’s 24/7 Support Line by calling 0808 500 2222 oregon starting an online chat.

Trained unit volition instrumentality your call, perceive and speech you done each of your options, whether you person decided to instrumentality further enactment oregon not.

If you program connected going to the police, if possible, bash not lavation your apparel oregon shower, bathe oregon brushwood your teeth. If you bash get changed, support the apparel you were wearing successful a integrative bag. Try not to devour oregon portion either. These steps volition assistance to sphere immoderate DNA grounds your attacker whitethorn person near connected your assemblage oregon clothes.

Where to spell if you’ve been raped

If you person been injured (common post-rape injuries see bruising, symptom and bleeding) you’re champion advised to spell to your nearest A&E to question aesculapian treatment. 

You bash not person to archer unit what has happened to you, though it whitethorn assistance the clinicians to springiness you the champion imaginable care. Most A&E departments volition besides beryllium capable to link you with further services.

If you are uninjured and consciousness comfy to bash so, you tin interaction and put to spell to your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) (sometimes referred to arsenic Sexual Assault Response Coordinator).

This is simply a harmless spot for anyone, careless of age, gender, sexuality oregon identity, wherever you volition beryllium seen by specially trained doctors, nurses and enactment unit and offered medical, applicable and affectional support. The NHS has accusation connected wherever to find your nearest centre, and the constabulary volition besides beryllium capable to instrumentality you there.

You tin besides spell to 1 of Rape Crisis’ 38 centres crossed England and Wales, a genitourinary medicine session (GUM clinic) oregon a centre that provides intersexual wellness services, which tin interaction a SARC connected your behalf.

How to study being raped

If you privation to interaction the police, ringing 999 oregon the constabulary non-emergency enactment connected 101. You volition beryllium enactment successful interaction with specially trained officers and offered a forensic aesculapian introspection if you haven’t had one. Most SARCs and intersexual wellness centres tin besides interaction the constabulary connected your behalf. 

The constabulary volition inquire you to constitute and motion a connection but your details volition beryllium kept arsenic confidential arsenic possible. 

An Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) volition often beryllium connected manus to assistance you done the reporting process, particularly if you person travel via a SARC. 

Even aft you person made a statement, you tin inactive determine to retreat from the transgression justness process astatine immoderate time. 

What to expect aft being raped

If you be a SARC, you volition beryllium fixed the enactment of a forensic aesculapian examination. This volition ever beryllium carried retired by a qualified doc oregon caregiver and lone with your consent.

The champion accidental for preserving and assesing grounds is wrong 72 hours aft the rape has occurred but grounds tin inactive beryllium contiguous up to 7 days aboriginal – and it tin inactive beryllium worthy asking for a forensic introspection aft this period, if you privation one. 

A forensic aesculapian exam volition not lone look for grounds of an attacker but tin besides cheque your humor levels and urine – and sometimes a hairsbreadth illustration – if you deliberation your nutrient oregon portion mightiness person been spiked.

First, the doc oregon caregiver volition inquire for an relationship of the rape truthful they cognize wherever DNA and different grounds is astir apt beryllium found.

They volition past usage what’s known arsenic a ‘rape kit’ (which includes things similar swabs, forceps, and postulation bags) to cod evidence. During the exam, they whitethorn instrumentality swabs from immoderate portion of your assemblage wherever you whitethorn person been kissed, touched and had thing inserted, arsenic good arsenic scraping nether your fingernails and taking samples from immoderate biologic oregon outer substance recovered connected your assemblage oregon clothes. 

If your apparel request to beryllium held arsenic evidence, you volition beryllium fixed caller ones to wear.

Any forensic worldly grounds that is collected tin beryllium stored astatine the SARC portion you determine whether oregon not you privation to study the rape to the police.

Other things to see aft rape

Pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) tin some beryllium consequences of rape and should beryllium considered arsenic soon arsenic you consciousness able. Support is available.

STIs tin beryllium transmitted vaginally, anally oregon orally from idiosyncratic who is infected, and an corruption whitethorn beryllium symptomless, truthful it’s important for your ain wellness and information to get checked. Most STIs tin beryllium diagnosed and treated easily. 

If determination is simply a hazard you could beryllium pregnant, you tin get exigency contraception from the SARC, your GP oregon section intersexual wellness session oregon a pharmacy. Again, you bash not request to archer clinicians wherefore you request it.

If your rape is historic

According to Rape Crisis, 1 successful 3 big survivors of kid intersexual maltreatment volition not archer anyone what happened to them until overmuch aboriginal successful life. 

Psychological oregon affectional distress is communal for radical who person been raped, and symptoms specified arsenic panic attacks, insomnia, flashbacks and aforesaid harm tin look astatine immoderate time.

You tin inactive entree support, including from the constabulary – determination is nary clip bounds connected reporting and your relationship tin inactive beryllium utilized arsenic evidence. 

Your section SARC whitethorn beryllium capable to connection counselling services, oregon nonstop you to idiosyncratic to speech to, and proposal is connected manus from charities similar Rape Crisis careless of wherever you are successful your journey. 

Do you person a communicative you’d similar to share? Get successful interaction by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views successful the comments below.

MORE: The Metro regular cartoon by Guy Venables

MORE: ‘When my girl archetypal faced gender-based unit it was successful the playground’

MORE: This £12 question extremity tin assistance you spot 2 European Christmas markets successful 1 day